GAA boss eyes up calendar

NICKEY BRENNAN’S suggestion that the National Leagues could revert back to an October start failed to find much favour with the Kilkenny and Limerick hurling managers yesterday.

The new GAA President floated a series of structural changes to the GAA calendar 24 hours earlier in Croke Park with the Tommy Murphy Cup, the minor and U21 grades and county Junior and Intermediate championships all coming under the spotlight.

The call to run off three rounds of the football and hurling leagues in October and November received little support at a pre-NHL final press conference in Dublin's Berkeley Court.

"I wouldn't be for that because players, after a long season and club games as well, need a break," said Limerick manager Joe McKenna. "October, November, December are months where teams go on holidays and need to wind down so that they can go again in January."

Having won only one league title in ten years during the 1990s, Kilkenny have found the new format much to their liking. A win against Limerick in Thurles on Sunday would be their fourth crown in the five seasons since the competition reverted to a February start.

Hardly surprising then that Brian Cody would argue for the current system's retention but the James Stephen's clubman claimed other, less selfish, reasons for his interest in maintaining the status quo.

"I agree with Joe (McKenna). Players are now used to the calendar year. The reality is that the club scene is very much focused on September, October and then you have club championships coming on.

"That's a busy time for club players and county players playing with their clubs. I just think that it's a better system as it is. I don't think it's the best thing to drag out the county players again in October and November."

Every year, the structure of the League is either tweaked or torn-up and this season saw the abolition of the second group phase in favour of a quarter-final and semi-final system.

Not all managers have been in favour of the latest alteration but Cody refused to speculate on what could be done to maximise a competition which has failed to attract significant attendances.

"It's for other people to decide how it's done," was Cody's reply. "I'm happy enough with the format. It's a full-time job trying to do as well as you possibly can in whatever competition is put in front of you. It's design doesn't concern me."

Limerick who, along with Kilkenny, are the only team to negotiate the league unbeaten thus far have obviously found the fixtures calendar to their liking as well, as McKenna admitted.

"I think the format is excellent. We had the Waterford Crystal first, which I think is a tremendous competition just after Christmas as it gets you concentrated on games. Then you go right into the league and you've five games before the latter stages."