Duo welcome new closed season
Coined as a “pro-club Congress” by president Nickey Brennan, the Dublin and Donegal managers agreed the November and December lock-down is just what the doctor ordered for the hard-pressed inter-county player.
Caffrey was already enrolled in the school of thought that viewed lengthy pre-seasons as anathema to modern Gaelic games, a view strengthened by the catalogue of league games in the Pale that have stretched into 2008.
That situation may continue in the seasons to come but at least the game’s top players will have one less master to obey for two blissful winter months. Given the push being made to alleviate the crisis of burnout among elite players, the closed season could prove as crucial to combating that scourge as the U19 motion that was defeated so comprehensively last weekend.
“The player burnout issue is huge,” said Caffrey. “A lot of players carry injuries through to the end of the season and they need time to recuperate. “This is a great window of opportunity for that.
“Guys who are serious about playing inter-county football will continue their strength conditioning programmes throughout the winter but it is no harm that teams are not together collectively.”
There wasn’t unadulterated joy at the new ruling. Jason Ryan is taking his tentative steps on the inter-county management path with Wexford and, though it wasn’t the ruling that tied his hands, his experiences so far are instructive as to how rookie managers might fare in 12 months’ time.
“I wasn’t able to run anything before Christmas because of my own circumstances but I would have liked to at the time. It would have given me a better chance to see what cards I had been dealt.
“January has been tough. I’ve been trying to do physical preparation, run trials and play the O’Byrne Cup. There’s been a lot on my plate.”
Both McIver and Caffrey sympathised with that issue but the Donegal manager has no beef with the imposed closed season. Like Dublin, Donegal were running off club competitions long after Santa Claus clocked out for Christmas.
“I see the side that Jason might be coming from. I was talking to Jody Gormley of Antrim this time last year and he was in the same scenario. Where a manager is taking over it may be important for him to be allowed play a few trial games.
“For the great majority of the players, they do need a break or even in terms of clubs getting their competitions wrapped up.’’
As with every January, there is a sense of new beginnings in the Association, not least because of the ‘new’ League formats with four divisions with the top two sides in each qualifying for divisional deciders.
Semi-finals have been scrapped and Gaelic football’s secondary inter-county competition will be pruned even more next year when it is condensed from 12 weeks to eight.
“We have been up in Division One for the last six seasons I have been involved and it was the same fixtures rolled out year in year out,” said Caffrey. “There is a bit more excitement with the new format, particularly for the fans.
“I met fans outside Dr Cullen Park (on Sunday) and an awful lot of them are looking forward to going up to Cavan, for example. We haven’t played Cavan in the National League in god knows how long. It brings variety.”
The road may have been resurfaced but the destination remains the same. One team has to win the top title in late April but have the goalposts shifted after Donegal’s cautionary tale last spring? Winning a league title was once viewed as a poisoned chalice come championship time but McIver’s 2007 champions were the first in a long time not to feature strongly in the latter stages of the subsequent championship.
Food for thought? “Each of the years I have been in charge, we have gone out to win as many games as possible and qualify,” said Caffrey. “Our results haven’t enabled us to do that. That is the straight answer.
“We are in Division Two now and we are disappointed to be in Division Two. We set out with the same stall this year, we want to win as many games as possible and qualify for the league final.
“There’s nothing like winning matches. We had the experience of winning the O’Byrne Cup last year. Everyone will tell you that a winning dressing room is a nice place to be and makes it easier the following Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.”
