Leitrim see sense in Cavan hurling call

LEITRIM GAA chiefs support Cavan’s decision to pull their senior hurling side out of competition for five years.

Cavan chairman Tom Reilly refused to put the side into the Lory Meagher competition, deciding instead to pump the money saved into the development of underage hurling in the county.

Leitrim secretary Diarmuid Sweeney said they will watch the development with interest and also questioned the worth of continuing a model that wasn’t sustainable. He also revealed many counties only participate because they fear having their funding cut.

“It’s a token gesture at the moment,” he said. “It’d be questionable that if you don’t take part you don’t get your funding. At the end of the day the hurling isn’t self-sustaining by virtue of the grants and the gate receipts. Whether it’s value for money is the next thing.”

Leitrim County Board are in the process of hiring a full-time hurling officer to develop the game at underage level.

Sweeney added: “It’s no secret, we’re advertising on the Leitrim GAA website at the moment for a hurling officer. We’re looking for a full-time officer in an effort to try and re-establish, rebuild and focus on what we have, what’s going on and what we haven’t got.”

Leitrim were heavily beaten by South Down in the Lory Meagher Cup at the weekend by 4-25 to 0-8, while neighbours Sligo took a 4-18 to 1-7 beating from Louth in the Nicky Rackard Cup.

Sweeney acknowledged the need for a review of current structures and suggested bringing club sides together to play league competitions.

“Definitely putting out a county team isn’t the answer, it’s down the levels they need to start,” he said. “You need to start the underage structure all the way up. Maybe the clubs from Cavan and Leitrim clubs could come together and form some sort of a league. I know the CCCC will go off their heads if they see more competitions being started.

“Take my own club, Glencar Manorhamilton. They said they weren’t getting a return in Leitrim from games and joined the Ulster league. But they play teams in Down, Antrim and Tyrone and got more hurling that way.”

The grandparent rule that allows counties to bring in five players to bolster their sides, is something Sweeney believes has added to weaker counties failing to progress.

“There are lads killing themselves to get on a county team and you could import five lads for lack of a better word. There were lads left on the sideline who weren’t too happy. You’d wonder why they’d bother when you can import lads and bring in a third of your team from outside the county. It doesn’t do much good in the long term.”

But, no more than Cavan, Leitrim want the sport to develop and have created plans to allow that to happen.

“We’ve established four hubs after 30 years of hurling. If you take the 24 clubs in Leitrim that’s six clubs per hub and those four centres will field a team,” said Sweeney.

“That’s what we’re looking at. If you’re from that area you go to that hub and play there. We’re trying to build it back up again with this full-time officer.”