Wrestling with the clubs in the battle for another September

AS Croke Park prepares for the busiest championship weekend of the year, all is not well in the world of the GAA.

It became the staple July story in the sports pages. County championships and club players nudged to one side in the pursuit of September glory. With more and more games at the elite levels in football and hurling, the pressure is becoming more and more intense on the grassroots of the games.

Cork, acclaimed for putting the club interest first, hasn’t had a senior hurling championship tie since St Finbarr’s and Douglas meet on June 23. And the chairman of the Cork Fixtures Committee Jerry O’Sullivan insists their hands are tied.