League may be true barometer of success for many counties
All week I have been exploring the merits of a joint venture business model. A joint venture is where two or more parties form a contractual business arrangement for the mutual benefit of both and in doing so share the risks and rewards associated with the business.
It struck me that we have a similar business model in the GAA. The terms of agreement between a county board and its management panel effectively constitute a joint venture business model. Both parties clearly have a common goal. There is a defined start and end date. A board, consisting of representatives from both parties form a quality management group for yearly reviews of service performance. And ultimately successes and failures are shared.
You must assume that an important contractual arrangement for any county board/manager joint venture is league success. That is, if you accept that the national league is an essential competition to win to be in with a chance of All-Ireland glory. After all, since 2000 all National League champions have won the All-Ireland, except for Derry (champions in 2008) and Mayo (champions in 2001). You might also accept that the league is the petri dish for managers to watch their team develop and their system of play flourish.
As four of the top eight teams come from Ulster, you might expect an overly defensive league campaign. This perception couldn’t be further from the truth.
Donegal, former architects of an ultra-defensive system, are rumoured to be favouring a change, under new management, towards a much more open, attacking system. This would be a surprise considering Rory Gallagher’s involvement with former manager Jim McGuinness, but it would be more consistent with his playing days at St Gall’s of Antrim and his county Fermanagh. It might not be a kicking game but it should certainly be more open.
Malachy O’Rourke has tried the defensive approach and failed, primarily because he hasn’t been able to bridge the gap between the defence and the full-forward line of Kieran Hughes and Conor McManus.
This huge void needs addressing and the league should see some experimentation with a higher defensive line and therefore a higher base to counter-attack from, helping to bridge that gap. McManus alone won’t keep Monaghan in Division 1.
Isn’t it Mickey Harte’s philosophy to win every competition? He knows that winning a competition amasses more benefits than any training or match. Tyrone will certainly be out to win the league.
During the McKenna Cup semi-final against Armagh, they showed promising signs of early season form. In possession, they attack from defence at pace and are fortunate to have the excellent Sean Cavanagh to target at full-forward. They are already strong, appear well-conditioned and if they can maintain the pace in their play into the league, then they will have results under their belt before others get to the races.
Tyrone’s stubborn refusal to fall further down the pecking order is admirable. In 2015, my own county, Armagh, reside in Division 3. Yet we would never worry about facing Tyrone in the championship. However, you would be burying your head in the sand if you believed that competing in Division 3 affords Armagh the same championship preparation as Tyrone will gain playing against the country’s best teams.
Do you really believe that anyone other than a Division 1 league team will win a provincial championship? Furthermore, unless the back-door draw is unkind, do you reasonably expect anybody to prevent the eight Division 1 teams reconvening in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.
There are a dozen or more county board/manager joint ventures which believe that the last eight of the All-Ireland is a reasonable target. These contracts should be scrapped and reworded to target promotion in the league and eventually residence in Division 1.
Division 1 teams fatten up by surrounding themselves with high quality, while the others bury their heads in excuses and negativity.
If Armagh, Laois, Galway, Meath and Down really want to succeed this year or in the years to come, they must start with the league. Had Mayo won either the 2010 or 2012 league finals, would they have gained that extra ‘indefinable’ required to win the championship?
For now, the focus for many teams remains, incorrectly, on winning the championship. Yet the number of teams who have real potential in September is shrinking. Maybe next year, when counties are drafting those T&Cs, they might consider the league the barometer for success.
