‘Munster Final a treasure’
Nealon, who may be the only man in Semple Stadium tomorrow unable to watch the Munster final, is passionate about the provincial system being retained. But he accepts that the GAA can never return to the old knock-out format for the Championship.
What he favours is a retention of the current qualifier system, with certain modifications forcing counties to play six days after losing in the provincial championship is very unfair, he maintains.
Nealon was elected to the Munster Council as a Tipperary delegate in 1967, at a time when he was hurling (and refereeing) at a top level. He distinguished himself at inter-county level during a very successful period for the county, when his honours included eight provincial and five All-Ireland medals. In addition to coaching the successful 1971 team, he was part of Babs Keating's management team when Tipperary re-emerged as a dominant force in 1987.
"I enjoyed that and we had a lot of success. But, nothing compares with the playing years," he commented.
His duties on Munster final day always limited his viewing time and while he was on the sideline in several finals involving Tipperary, he jokes that 'this was not watching.' He had to abandon a promising career in refereeing following his appointment as Munster Secretary in succession to Sean McCarthy.
His administrative role has changed substantially over the years, resulting from the adoption of a committee system and his membership of Croke Park committees. The running of games remains the biggest challenge during the summer months and nothing is more demanding than the allocation of tickets. He knows that, in retirement, he will miss the buzz and excitement of match days, but not the ticket hassle. "It's overwhelming at times," he says he began work at 2am some mornings this week.
"There will be up to 12,000 more people at tomorrow's game than last year. All finals now are social occasions and they are full houses practically."
Interest in the games has been fuelled by the huge exposure in the media, particularly on television. Initially, Munster were slow to embrace the concept of 'live' telecasts, based on their experience in the 1989 decider, between Tipperary and Waterford in Pairc Uí Chaoimh. "The attendance was poor and the match wasn't good. That frightened us and we took a bit of persuading to agree eventually. But, television has really drawn in the crowds and it has been wonderful for the game."
The only downside is its effects on club activity, which he feels 'is being pushed into a corner.' "We would want to be careful that there wouldn't be over-exposure, that we would get the balance right. There was never more club games being played and never more competitions, but teams are not getting the followings, especially in the early rounds."
He says that while the pleasing aspect in Munster has been the success of five different hurling counties in the past seven years, progress has been minimal in football, apart from a levelling of standards at minor and U21 level. Clare did come through in senior, Tipperary have been near and Limerick have shown they are 'definitely capable' of winning this year's final. "It would be marvellous if there was another breakthrough by one of these weak counties. That's why I say the provincial championship should never be scrapped."
He reckons the standard of football has improved with much less pulling and dragging and feels that a significant improvement in refereeing has been a factor. However, he feels it is 'ridiculous' that players are permitted to punch the ball from the hand over the bar. And, he would favour a limitation on the number of passes that can be made.
His view on hurling is that the standard is 'every bit as good' as it was in the past, attributing the increase in individual skill levels to work done by coaches. However, he regrets that ground hurling and overhead striking are dying arts and still holds to a comment he made in one of his reports that it's 'obnoxious' that scores can be got by kicking the ball to the net. Another hobby-horse is that so few players can put the ball over the bar from a sideline cut, suggesting that the shinty rule of allowing two points could well be adopted.
Purely on safety grounds, he would favour the introduction of a 25 yards (one on one) penalty.
It pleases him, too, that the 'hatchet men' in hurling are a dying breed, saying that he 'absolutely hates' to see hurleys being used in an ugly fashion.
"We must protect our players, particularly sporting players who deserve to get the opportunity to display their skill." While the current Championship system has its flaws, Donie Nealon supports it. "I would be totally against the Champions League idea of group games. You'd have a lot of poor matches that you wouldn't get interested in. These groups can go badly, too. A team can have it won after two rounds. I don't think that suits the ethos of the GAA. I see suggestions they should scrap the Munster championship. I hope to God that never happens. I would be totally against that. The Munster hurling final is one of our great treasures, the envy of everybody."
He stresses the importance of putting a lot of their resources into the promotion of the games in the schools, particularly at post-primary level describing this as a major challenge for the Association. "If we haven't our games in those schools, we are going to lose out. It's very distressing to see schools that were great almost disappearing. Over the past seven years, the Harty Cup has been won by St Flannan's or St Colmans. That's not healthy."
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
