John Fogarty: Limerick and John Kiely not spitting out the dummy
MAN WITH THE PLAN: Limerick manager John Kiely believes naming the team is a player welfare issue. Pic: Piaras Ă MĂdheach/Sportsfile
Before the start of what John Kiely considers the most cut-throat Munster senior hurling championship in years, Limerick have another battle on their hands. Do they blink and change their policy of naming their match-day 15 and panel to the players two days before the game, or do try and preserve it, i.e. issue a dummy team?
A point that might sound trivial on the surface is considered anything but by Kiely, who spoke at length at the Munster SHC launch against the GAAâs Central Competitions Control Committeeâs (CCCC) new protocol of releasing teams on Friday mornings.
For the purposes of match programmes, panels for senior championship games have long been issued to the GAA by the Thursday morning prior to games. That has been done on the proviso they wonât be revealed until either the counties themselves publish them or the match programme has been distributed on the day of the fixture. While there has been the occasional leak, the GAA have held up their side of the bargain. Where the agreement falls down, though, is among uber-secretive teams who either publish their teams and none of their substitutes, make a raft of 11th hour changes to their starting 15 as they are entitled to, or do both.
The CCCC are at least trying to improve the promotion of games by providing the squads that are registered with them on Thursday to the public just over 24 hours later. However, that does not consider the likes of Limerick or Kilkennyâs habit of informing their players later that evening when they are playing on Sundays. While Derek Lyng feels it is an unnecessary measure, Kiely argues it is a player welfare matter as it threatens to depersonalise how they communicate sensitive information to their group to the team and matchday panel. The integrity of that means is something Kiely appears determined to protect.Â
âWhatâs going to happen is the teams that are going to be submitted are quite simply going to be just the panelists,â he said last Wednesday week. âI think itâs a disservice to those who purchase a programme on the day, I think they deserve to know within reason what the team is going to be, that there might be one or two changes but thereâs not going to be 12 or 15 changes to the team thatâs going to be put out. Teams might be inclined to name their team according to alphabetical order and you might have a corner-back wearing No 15 and a corner-forward wearing No 4.â
Just to illustrate how strange things might look if Limerick go down the alphabetical route based on surnames: 1. Conor Boylan, 2. Diarmuid Byrnes, 3. Mike Casey, 4. Peter Casey, 5. Ronan Connolly, 6. Colin Coughlan, 7. Adam English, 8. Richie English, 9. SeĂĄn Finn, 10. Seamus Flanagan, 11. Aaron Gillane, 12. Declan Hannon, 13. Kyle Hayes, 14. GearĂłid Hegarty, 15. Cian Lynch, 16. David McCarthy, 17. Dan Morrissey, 18. Tom Morrissey, 19. Barry Murphy, 20. Barry Nash, 21. Shane OâBrien, 22. Donnacha Ă Dalaigh, 23. William OâDonoghue, 24. Darragh OâDonovan, 25. Cathal OâNeill, 26. Nickie Quaid.
They could, of course, opt for their line-up as Gaeilge: 1. Barra de Nais, 2. Ădhamh Inglis, 3. RisteĂĄrd Inglis, 4. DĂĄithĂ MacCarthaigh, 5. NicolĂĄs Mac Uaid, 6. Concobhar Ă Baolain, 7. SeĂĄn Ă Briain, 8. Diarmaid Ă Broin, 9. MicheĂĄl Ă Cathasaigh, 10. Peadar Ă Cathasaigh, 11. CĂłilĂn Ă CochlĂĄin, 12. RĂłnĂĄn Ă Coinneile, 13. Donnacha Ă Dalaigh, 14. Darragh Ă Donnabhain, 15. Liam Ă DonnchĂș, 16. SĂ©amus Ă FlannagĂĄin, 17. SeĂĄn Ă Foinn, 18. ĂrĂłn Ă Giollain, 19. DĂ©aglĂĄn Ă hAnnain, 20. Caol Ă hAodha, 21. GearĂłid Ă hEigeataigh, 22. Cian Ă Loingsigh, 23. Domhnall Ă Muirgheasa, 24. TomĂĄs Ă Muirgheasa, 25 Barra Ă MurchĂș, 26. Cathal Ă NĂ©ill.
Limerick will register a squad â Kiely risks losing sideline privileges if he doesnât. The only stipulation for goalkeepers Quaid and McCarthy is that they wear jerseys of a different colour to the outfield players but then contravening that rule only carries an âŹ80 fine. That wouldnât appear to be an avenue Limerick want to explore either but they seem intent on taking a stance.
What is an issue for Limerick this week wonât be the following one when they will announce the team and squad to face Clare to their players on Thursday, April 27, two days before the second-round game in TUS Gaelic Grounds. By the time the CCCC issue their match-day squad, they will have done so themselves.
The GAAâs move to release squads is a welcome one but it could be more nuanced. Distributing the registered line-ups for Saturday championship games on Friday mornings and Sunday games on Friday evenings is a more reasonable alternative. It doesnât need to be a Mexican stand-off.
So deprived are football supporters of good quality games that crackers like Monaghan and Tyrone last Sunday and New Yorkâs extra-time win over Leitrim are being held up in defence of the provincial championships.
If anything, they prove that there are other stronger forces at play, namely qualification for the Sam Maguire Cup. Just as that championship demarcation line inspired Clare against Cork last Sunday week, it should ensure Cavan are a threat to Armagh as Down will be to Donegal this weekend.
Whatâs on the line in Limerick and Sligo this weekend canât be understated. The winning teams may end up fodder for Kerry and Galway or Roscommon in provincial finals but it will be a badge of honour to be a certified Sam Maguire Cup team. Anybody thinking local bragging rights alone is enough inspiration is deluded. Where there is lack of incentive, there are drab, if not misleading affairs. Carlowâs fate will be the same as Wicklowâs in spite of their defeat to them just as Wexford will share theirs in the Tailteann Cup with Laois.
To lose first day is little worse than losing a Leinster quarter or semi-final. As good as the game in Omagh was on Sunday, as much as Tyrone clearly wanted to win, it felt like a free hit for both them and Monaghan. The equivalent of playing on knowing the referee was always going to call back the play for a free if advantage wasnât afforded.
Never mind Ryan OâTooleâs audacious score or the abandonment of sweepers, the scoreline alone â over 10 points more than the countiesâ average aggregate score across their five previous championship meetings â should be proof enough that there was something irregular about what transpired. Come Saturday week, Monaghan could be in a worse position than Tyrone in the grand scheme of things, seeded third to Tyroneâs second. Provincial championships? A bit of fun while they last.
Imagine the outcry had RTĂ gone ahead this weekend with just one highlights show. The seemingly eternal row about which code starts the show would be the least of the broadcasterâs worries; two hours just wouldnât be enough for five provincial hurling championship openers, four provincial football semi-finals, and six quarter-finals.
As part of their new media rights deal, they have expanded into Saturday evening where this weekend the three Leinster hurling games as well as the four provincial football matches should receive a decent airing in the 90-minute show, and hopefully the Joe McDonagh Cup too. The Saturday Game will boast a strong cast but expecting it to be as analytical as the Sunday production would be unfair due to time constraints.Â
There are three evening throw-ins â Limerick v Clare (7pm), Cavan v Armagh (6.30pm), and Kilkenny v Westmeath (6pm) â and the programme starts at 9.30pm. It also marks the biggest weekend yet for RTĂâs GAAGO partnership with four games on Saturday â Sligo v New York, Kerry v Tipperary, Cavan v Armagh and Galway v Wexford â and two on Sunday â Clare v Tipperary and Laois v Dublin. As for whether the highlights begin with football or hurling, we would guess it will be football on Saturday and hurling Sunday. Although, there is speculation they may alternate coverage of games depending on quality Ă la Match of The Day rather than focusing on each codeâs offerings en bloc.
