Kelly has faith in potential of Murphy Cup
Only five teams entered the secondary competition for weaker counties with a trip to the US on offer for the champions.
There is still uncertainty over whether Sligo will take part after manager James Kearns stepped back from duties for the tournament.
Kelly, who conceived this competition, remains adamant that there is still potential for the tournament to grow. All it needs is a little planning.
“Obviously, I would prefer positive rather than negative vibes emanating about the tournament,” Kelly admits.
“But when you start anything new, there is always teething problems.”
Kelly has been boosted by the response of the North American Board to the championship. The Tommy Murphy Cup holders are due to travel to the States and play a fixture there later in the season.
“It has brought the North American Board together; it has been a huge boost for a county team to go out and play them. There is plenty of potential and it can progress.”
Kelly also accepted there might be a need for a change in attitude for the competition to take off. “It is hard for a team to be re-motivated after losing two games in the championship. That is something we have to look at.
“It will probably need a change in planning and attitude. We can look at some things, like maybe the teams being allowed to play in the provincial championship and not the qualifiers. At the end of this, there is a chance to represent your county at Croke Park and we want to give as many players as possible a chance to do that.”
The president also addressed criticism of the championship calendar by some of the losing provincial finalists.
“For the past two years, I have been saying the GAC should be split into two bodies and every day that goes by proves me right. We understand the concerns of some teams who only have six days to prepare for a qualifier.
“This championship system is still an evolving situation. Ideally, every team would have a two-week break to prepare for their next championship match, but replays of provincial finals aren’t something you can legislate for.”
One school of thought involves reducing the break between the All-Ireland semi-finals and final. If a team emerges from the first football semi-final without need for a replay, they will have five weeks to prepare for the All-Ireland final.
“That is one possible solution, reducing the gap between semi-finals and finals,” Kelly said. “But we have other considerations, too, such as U21 finals, camogie and ladies football.”
Meanwhile, the president agreed that the hike in the ticket prices for the hurling quarter-final replay between Kilkenny and Clare is a worrying development.
“Certainly, that is something that will have to be looked at.”
It means now that those supporters from Leitrim and Waterford who want to watch their team in the junior football final will have to pay €35.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
