Griffin warns of dangers of ‘yo-yoing’ between divisions

WEXFORD hurling legend Liam Griffin has warned that counties which “yo-yo” between Allianz Hurling League Divisions 1 and 2 mayeventually be lost to lower divisions.

Griffin, who led Wexford to their last All-Ireland senior hurling title in 1996, acknowledges his county is one of those in peril of dropping down.

“The team’s obviously not going well,” said Griffin.

“They started off in the league without the Oulart-the-Ballagh players, who were involved in the Leinster club championship, and Wexford can’tafford to be without them, because club hurling is not strong in the county and Oulart would be the strongest club team here.

“They started behind the eight-ball and got a bad beating against Galway but while there’s been no lack ofwillingness from the players — they played well against Waterford — the question of Division 2 comes into it, because if they go back they’ll have been in Division 2 for three of the last four years.

“And you could see elements of Division 2 hurling in their play against Waterford. Hopefully they can put in the performances in the remaining games, but they’re under pressure.”

Griffin added that playing structures within the county do not help theinter-county sides in hurling andfootball. “I’ve been saying it for 30 years — there’s a non-geographical divide in Wexford between hurling and football. Wexford need different structures to play the games as a result of that. Until that nettle is grasped the county will struggle to get to Division 1 in football and to win Leinster championships in either hurling or football.

“People don’t really understand that but it’s a GAA problem because there isn’t that geographical divide between football and hurling areas it’s difficult to structure the games. It’s not that Wexford people are inferior.”

Griffin believes “yo-yoing” between Division 1 and 2 does nothing for teams such as Wexford, Clare, Offaly and Limerick.

“On a given day those teams are good enough to give most of the top sides a game. If you send the marginal teams back to play at a slower pace, then over time you may lose those teams to lower divisions.

“The top teams, the likes of Kilkenny and Tipperary, are working so hard at the game that if you’re not doing as much hurling as them they’ll be jumping ahead of you all the time.

“That’s what’s happened to Wexford – and it could happen to Cork, too, if the hurling is not kept up.”