Divilly blasts Geezer pressure on students

NUI Maynooth manager John Divilly has accused Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney of putting too much pressure on his student players.

The 1998 Galway All-Ireland winner made the claim after McGeeney called in the NUI Maynooth contingent to training last Saturday after they had played two Sigerson Cup games in as many days.

One of those players was also believed to have been dropped from the Kildare team for an Allianz Division Two game last month after he failed to attend inter-county weight sessions on days he was training with the college.

“Kieran McGeeney seems to forget that he won a couple of Sigerson Cups with Queens,” lashed Divilly.

“It’s pure irony he doesn’t think the competition is that important any more.

“It’s stupid not to give the lads a breather. In fairness to Justin McNulty in Laois, he gave all the boys the week off last week, whereas the Kildare lads had to go in on Saturday morning after two games in two days.

“Why couldn’t they have been given a break as well?

“Jim Gavin (Dublin U21 manager) was excellent as well. He was on the phone asking when his players were training and what they weredoing. Once the communication lines are open you can have no complaints. Like-minded intelligent managers will work with you.

“They don’t want to squeeze every drop of blood out of players.”

He recalled: “In my time playing, John O’Mahony didn’t want to see students back in training until the Sigerson was over.

“It was a shop window to him and it still is.”

Divilly believes inter-county bosses are dictating too much and adding to the fixtures mayhem.

“It seems to me some inter-county managers don’t want to know players until they’re playing well.

“Then they’re all over them like a rash and wanting to play for their clubs and trial games.

“Playing two competitions, whether it’s the Sigerson against the league or the Sigerson and the U21 provincial championships, alongside each other is not fair on lads. Club games are a factor too. Michael Newman did his hamstring in a game in Meath we were told would be called off, but it wasn’t. Three to four of our guys missed out on the Sigerson weekend because they had played so much football in the weeks before.”

Divilly supports the idea of third-level colleges being withdrawn from the pre-season competitions.

“We weren’t in the O’Byrne Cup but maybe if the colleges weren’t in them (pre-season competitions), it might take the pressure off players. It would also take the pressure off inter-county managers because they would then have bigger panels to pick from. I don’t see the value in a college winning a pre-season competition. What’s in it for them? Not much. I don’t know what the best way to solve it is but a decision, when it is made, has to come from the top.”

However, Divilly doesn’t believe Croke Park are doing enough to promote the Sigerson Cup.

“I feel the GAA are only paying lip service to the Sigerson. They hardly publicise it or help the players,” heremarked.

“They just want to be there for the finals and as soon as it’s over they wash their hands until the following year.”