Missing the finer points leads to major setbacks
Measure twice, cut once. No matter how many times I used to hear that carpenter’s maxim repeated by the chief sub-editor when I was back at the sportsdesk, I still to this day have a habit of missing out on the finer points.
Which is a true failing for anyone attempting to make a living out of journalism and a bit of a problem when it comes to managing this tour to Abu Dhabi for the Etihad GAA World Games.
One thing I neglected to do, for example, was to point out last Wednesday that this column will be doubling up as a weekly diary leading up to and through the event itself.
I don’t think anyone will be offended when I admit that February is a brutal month in US sport anyway but we’re all excited enough about the GAA World Games to have it down in print.
The organisers have been proactive about encouraging the other teams and units to provide pictures and video of their preparations. I haven’t done this yet, being a firm believer that video done wrong is a self-defeating exercise.
And anyway, it’s been enough of a task to make sure the trip itself is prepared for correctly; does everyone have a room? will the sets of kit be the correct fit for our players? have I ordered the bus to the airport yet (no)? and have I finalised the plans for hydration and nutrition as we aim to counteract our swift migration from this absurdly cold winter to the hot temperatures of the Emirates (again, no but working on it)?
There are a stream of oncoming trains — both seen and yet to be seen — and Monday brought the most recent one.
The paperwork was being checked in Abu Dhabi by our point of contact over there, the coaching officer Joe Melia. The hard and fast rule that I had focused on was to ensure our players were 12-month residents in New York at the very least and this was all complied with and approved.
But I had taken my eye off the other ball and never measured twice before cutting once. I had never sought clarification on the size of the panel. Poor Joe noted as gently but as firmly as possible that our men’s panel was over the 12-player limit.
This was a rule communicated by the organisers a few months back, to be fair, but having joined the project after it was set in motion, I had missed that memo and had worked under the assumption that whatever players were able to get time off from work, would travel to the games.
Within reason of course — I was already forced to turn away a couple of players once I had reached the 14, a delicate process in and of itself because I was counting on the lads to be able to confirm they would have work off.
The rule is understandable — a 26-man panel for 15-aside and a 12-man panel for nine-a-side.
In reality though, teams travelling from as far away as we are will have struggled with this limit.
Simply put, selecting 12 and making sure all 12 can travel will be a waste of time if one or two of them pick up injuries in the run-up. By then, it’s too late to find a replacement unless you’re very lucky.
That said, I took my beating and began the arduous process of informing our players about the next step.
Once the snow clears away, we will play at least two trial games using our inter-county team as opposition. We will whittle the 14 down to 12 and keep the extra two as reserves in case anyone gets injured.
Ideally, no one will fall out with me and no one will refuse to travel but I’ll deal with those issues as they arise. To a man, they were understanding.
The trial games against superior opposition will stand to us because nine-a-side is a format nobody is truly used to. We have to get our heads around the amount of space left when 18 players roam around a soccer-sized pitch.
There’s plenty of advice around and I have my own thoughts about how to utilise the goalkeeper and how best to employ the inside forwards. There’ll be a 12-hour flight full of tactical discussion to look forward to in any case.
Maybe this setback will benefit us, provide us with the opportunity to avail of another edge in preparations while streamlining the panel.
We will have three players returning from injuries by the time we take off and two players will be a little deflated that they won’t represent their county in the Middle East.
We’ll continue to make the best of it and I’ll try to measure more before cutting.
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