Cavan exit puts pressure on to finalise development plan

GAA President Christy Cooney admits the GAA’s need to finalise a hurling development plan has intensified following the decision of Cavan to withdraw from this year’s Lory Meagher Cup.

Speaking at the launch of the 12th annual FBD All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge, Cooney said that he understood the challenge facing counties such as Cavan at grassroots level in their attempts to develop hurling.

Cooney said: “You know the views I expressed in Congress in my address and the challenges that face counties like Cavan. I believe they need to build it (hurling) at club level. I would have envisaged that the likes of Cavan wouldn’t have played in the league early in the season, probably wouldn’t have played in the Ulster Championship, but would build their club scene and try and create a team to play in the Lory Meagher.

“I understand where they’re coming from and the challenges they face but I think we need to put a proper programme of development into counties like Cavan at club level to develop hurling and bring it up so that they’ll be strong enough to compete at senior level. There’s not much point in trying to play inter-county level if you haven’t a base beneath to try and create players to come through.

“I’ve had some discussions with Liam O’Neill (GAA president-elect) and the hurling committee already to try and develop that. They’ll be talking to the various counties over the next couple of months to finalise a hurling development plan and hopefully that will be part of that, how we can move it forward.”

In explaining the reasoning behind their decision to pull out of the Lory Meagher competition, Cavan county chairman Tom Reilly pointed out in the Irish Examiner yesterday that there is only one registered hurling club in the county.

Cooney continued: “I understand the challenges they face. I’m sure they have a lot of other things on their mind this week with the U21 football final on Sunday.

“There are challenges there, there’s no doubt about that and I think we have to recognise those challenges in the Association.

“This is about developing a base to make hurling stronger in the weaker counties, to be able to compete in a reasonable way. That’s what we want to achieve, we have to encourage that, but we can’t force teams into playing senior inter-county championship. It’s not fair either on the players, going out and being hammered by 25 or 30 points. If we don’t develop a base, it’s not going to work.”