There’s nearly a guilt going up to see your parents –
SHOCK was the widespread emotion when Dublin football star Jack McCaffrey recently walked away from the inter-county fold for the remainder of 2020, but Steven Poacher envisages several other high-profile absentees amid the Covid-19 crisis.
McCaffrey’s work as a junior doctor is believed to have played a significant role in his decision and Poacher expects others to follow suit for a variety of reasons before inter-county action recommences in late October.
As manager with Down club Bryansford and coach with James McCartan’s Mourne minor footballers, Poacher has found himself in some awkward situations amid a global health crisis and he predicts that several county stars will opt out for their own safety and that of their families.
“Players are going to start thinking, ‘Do I really want to go back to this? Do I really want to commit to this?’ Inter-county football is so professional and serious and it’s taking up so much of their time that I’d say that a lot of these lads are enjoying their free time now,” former Carlow coach Poacher said.
“Free time with their friends, wives and girlfriends and their weekends away and golfing and hill walking. I’ve spoken to a number of high-profile players who question whether it’s worth going back for such a short season in such a condensed period of time when people are trying to get back to a little bit or normality.
“I worry about my own father, he’s in his 70s. I’m coming from a team environment and I’m wondering, ‘Do I really need to go up and see him?’ because I’ve been in contact with a group. There’s nearly a guilt there.
“We’re still at the stage with mum and dad that I sit in the garden, we’re still iffy about going inside and any close contact. We would still spend a lot of time in the garden and there’s no hugging and kissing or anything.
“It’s very strange and it’s something that people are going to be really wary of. There’s probably a lot of inter-county players out there with vulnerabilities, be it asthma or whatever. There’s other players that will have siblings or parents or relations that are going to have that as well, so it is a very, very difficult one.”
Poacher holds fears for the viability of the inter-county season this winter amid a traditionally hectic ’flu period, while admitting that Down’s minors haven’t looked ahead to their Ulster opener in late October as the health situation changes “week by week”.
He also believes that GAA chiefs missed a glorious opportunity by retaining provincial championships and not reverting to an open draw in unprecedented circumstances while hoping that managers will allow players to express themselves more given the current climate.
“They missed a trick for just the one year to throw the names into a hat and draw it out with no seedings like the FA Cup, no seedings and make it a one-off in a one-off year. Imagine Dublin travelling to Kerry or wherever for the first round,” he said.
“You may have a tight provincial ground and someone takes a big scalp and it would have given it a breath of fresh air. We’d absolutely nothing to lose by doing that.
“Inter-county managers and S&C coaches are obsessed with condition and being regimented in everything
they do, every detail and this year lads just need to go out and play football and express themselves and enjoy it. That’s the most important thing.”
Poacher also feels that continuing to operate without dressing-rooms will cause GAA squads big problems down the road while he acknowledges the difficulties in fostering a bond during tough times.
“It’s OK now standing on the side of the pitch but how would you operate that in autumn or winter? Look at the stringent measures that are being put in place by the Premier League.
“Are we really going to have access to those levels of testing? I don’t think we are. I really love Gaelic football but you miss the buzz after the game, the craic and the camaraderie. There’s no huddles, there’s no hugging, there’s no one going for pints after and it’s very strange.”