Kelly defends Cup but throws down gauntlet

GAA President Sean Kelly has again defended the Tommy Murphy Cup but has also accepted for the first time that, if the will isn’t there, the competition may not have a future.

Few who saw the joy on the face of Tipperary's captain and marquee forward Declan Browne on Sunday would begrudge him or his county their moment in the spotlight, yet the new tournament still seems to have far more critics than it does supporters.

At present, every county that is knocked out in the first and second round of the All-Ireland qualifiers is entitled to enter the subsidiary tournament.

The presence this year of Wexford Division One league finalists and Fermanagh All-Ireland semi-finalists last year suggest that criteria needs changing, but that is just one caveat of many that needs addressing.

In his programme notes on Sunday, Kelly accepted that the structure of the competition may need addressing and that there was a strong dissenting body towards it within the GAA.

"Quo vadis?" he asked. Where is it going?

"Right concept, wrong formula maybe. Still, it was encouraging to read Declan Browne's positive views of the competition.

"An Allstar, an international, as intelligent as he is sporting.

"His views and actions are in stark contrast to some expressed by runaway managers, burden-laden officials and some unusually unenthusiastic players. Still, all views must be listened to.

In its inaugural year last year, 19 counties were eligible to play and yet only four chose to do so. This year proved better, at least in terms of entrants, with 10 out of 12 taking the field.

Numbers aren't the problem though, merely a symptom. Wexford, who lost to Tipp in last weekend's final, were furious that they had to postpone six county SFC games to accommodate a fixture in the competition some weeks ago.

That squeezing of an already tight club fixture calendar is a cornerstone of the opposition, but so is a general lack of appetite for the event that has gone beyond apathetic in many quarters.

Wexford went into Sunday's final with no manager and with only one training session under their belts.

Fermanagh took on the Leinster county in the semi-final with two-thirds of their top players including Ryan McCluskey, Mark Little, Ryan Keenan, Marty McGrath, Tom Brewster, Rory Gallagher and Colm Bradley missing.

Carlow and Antrim pulled out after the original draw while Leitrim did a U-turn to play only because they faced losing €50,000 in funding from the GAA if they failed to do so.

Such tough measures have helped keep the competition afloat until now but may well be a thing of the past, as Kelly hinted at the weekend.

"It's over to the counties who this competition was designed for. No more pressuring. No more cajoling. Why take a horse to water if he won't drink? If the designated counties are quite happy with their lot, let's revert to the status quo.

"Let the minors from the strong counties back into Croke Park on days like this so that the strong can get strong and the weak weaker, happy in the knowledge that they are supporting the rich man's table.

"Still, they'll tell you there's always next year. Faith springs eternal and all that. Trouble is next year never comes. It hasn't for many designated counties for many, many years. It's this year that counts, do your sums."