Colin Sheridan: Why a GAA draft? Why not? It’s been a while since things have been interesting
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces Jaelan Phillips as the 18th selection by the Miami Dolphins during round one of the 2021 NFL Draft at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio last Thursday. Could the GAA do with a Draft Pick process to spread talent more evenly across all the teams of the championship?
Imagine for a moment that, in an attempt to redress Dublin’s dominance of the Gaelic Football championship, the GAA went all communist on things, and had a draft. You heard me. Worst team gets first pick, best team, last. Thirty three teams, 33 players. It’s open season, too. Everyone is fair game. Hold your ire. The days we live in, daydreaming is the opium of the masses. You don’t need another “LET THE KIDS PLAY’’ miscellany from me. This is pure back-of-beermat stuff.
Who gets first pick? Well, with no better way to do it, the teams will be ranked by how early they exited 2020’s bastardised championship, with a few anomalies; New York and London were not given the chance to compete due to pandemic related travel restrictions, so, they automatically receive first and second pick respectively. Sligo were unable to field a team, but, rather than be rewarded, they will assume the slot they would’ve had anyway, had they been beaten by Galway last November (15th pick).
After that, Monaghan, who were the first team knocked out of last year’s championship on October 31, receive third pick. Mayo, as the last team knocked out, receive the 32nd and second last pick. Dublin the last (as if they need it).
Why a draft? Why not? It’s been a while since things have been interesting. The idea is to increase competitive parity between first and last teams. The balance would not be redressed in one or two seasons, but, if a team with a high draft position like Leitrim had three straight years of strong draft picks, the worm would surely turn for them. Same for mid-ranked teams like Kerry. Remember, teams can pick any player they want, save from their own county. Granted, with a team like Monaghan so close to the top, it’s a flawed system, but I’m just as God made me.
Got it? With that, I’ll hand over to GAA Commissioner Larry McCarthy at Carnegie Hall, New York, who is waiting to make some history.
“With the first pick in the 2021 Gaelic Football draft, New York selects...Aidan O’Shea from Mayo!”
This is crazy. Brian Fenton was the presumptive first pick. O’Shea was neither the best player in last year’s championship, nor the most promising prospect for this upcoming season due to injury. A smart move by New York, though. They are looking at the long game. In drafting O’Shea, they are selecting a player with a personality the size of Manhattan. A player who could sit courtside at Knicks games and Spike Lee would know who he is. He will adorn billboards in Times Square and fill the bleachers in Gaelic Park. Good move for all.
“With the second pick...London selects...David Clifford from Kerry!”
Wow. When this idea was conceived, every mock draft had Fenton, Ciarán Kilkenny and Con O’Callaghan going in the first four picks. In choosing Clifford, London have picked one of the game’s most prodigious talents, and like New York, will be looking to sell jerseys and attract numbers to Ruislip with a view to growing the game.
Sidebar; live footage of presumptive prospective draft picks pacing their homes, suddenly realising they are likely destined for Clones or Carrick on Shannon rather than Chelsea and the East Village is so entertaining, GAA twitter has already called the inaugural draft day a success.
Now, with the first two picks blowing all mock drafts to smithereens, the third sees Monagahn executives scrambling on the clock. Months of research and Moneyballing gone up in smoke, they suddenly have a full board to pick from:
“With the third pick...Monaghan selects...Brian Fenton from Dublin”
Picking two-time Footballer of the Year Fenton, the Brains Trust in Blaney knew they couldn’t go too far wrong. Fenton propels them into a contender conversation. Leaving behind Kilkenny and O’Callaghan rankles, however. Choice is not always a good thing.
“With the fourth pick...Waterford selects...Con O’Callaghan from Dublin!”
The camera cuts to the O’Callaghan household, where the announcement is met with polite, if a little strained, applause. O’Callaghan later admits to never having been to Waterford, and, like everyone else, is a little surprised to learn it’s so far away from everything. Twenty minutes before his name was called out, he was dreaming of a brownstone in Brooklyn, now it’s co-living in Cappoquin.
If the architects of this draft had worried that no one would care after the first few picks, they needn’t have.
“With the fifth pick...Leitrim selects...Ciarán Kilkenny from Dublin”.
Right now, everyone agrees the draft is working. Generational talent and serial champion moves to proud, “weaker” county. Kilkenny, his metaphorical turf already saved in the shed, places the Leitrim baseball cap proudly on his head. He knows his is a footballing pilgrimage. In Leitrim he will be a prophet.
The calm doesn’t last long.
“With the sixth pick...Tyrone selects…(extra long dramatic pause)...Michael Murphy from Donegal!”.
As the words leave his mouth, GAA commissioner McCarthy knows that he has laid bare the one fatal flaw of the draft system; players being selected by rivals. Some commentators speculated Tyrone deliberately lost to Donegal in 2020, just to contrive a chance to strip them of their sacred son in the draft. Murphy hangs his head in disbelief. He had hoped for a stint in Sligo, Longford even. He never saw this coming. Meanwhile, in Omagh, Ferghal Logan and Brian Dooher are grinning like they just bought shares in Bitcoin. Or sold them. Whichever is better.
As night one of a dramatic draft day draws to a close, there are many unanswered questions. The O’Connor brothers Cillian and Dairmuid, sitting side by side at home in Mayo, smile for the cameras through gritted teeth, while side-whispering curse-laden rants as to why they didn’t get chosen higher, suddenly dreading the thoughts of training in Aughrim or Newry.
Others, like Galway’s Shane Walsh, blend into the background, hoping to go unnoticed till later, maybe by Dubllin or Mayo- a team with an actual shot at winning.
Meanwhile, a cardboard cut-out of Stephan Cluxton sits at his kitchen table.
Kerry has the 18th pick.
The draft clock is ticking...
