Excluding colleges right approach, says Jerry O’Sullivan

Munster chairman Jerry O’Sullivan says the decision not to invite third level teams into their pre-season competitions can be considered a success.

For the second January running, the Munster Senior Hurling League and McGrath Cups will be competed for by counties only.

The hurling competition has since attracted a sponsor in Co-op Superstores.ie too and O’Sullivan can safely say the call by counties to exclude colleges and universities has worked.

“Counties are very much in favour of it. I know Tipp are not involved again this year but they are away on holiday and only come back after the first round and I believe they are in Antrim at the end of January (from a training camp) as well.

“Tipp would have likely played last year had they known the format was to be changed from knock-out to three or four games.

“All the other counties are anxious to play in it and see the benefit of doing so and having a new sponsor gives it a bit extra status. They are very eager to take part. The reality is they’d be looking for other competitions or games to prepare them for the National Leagues.”

Former Munster third level chairman, the late John Corcoran, strongly criticised the decision to exclude colleges. “God rest him, he railed against it,” said O’Sullivan. “There were difficulties when the Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups cut across the January competitions and it wasn’t fair to the counties.”

According to Gerry Tully, chairman of the GAA’s Higher Education Council, there has been little disquiet among third level clubs since the Munster counties’ call at the end of 2015. “It seems Munster colleges have more or less accepted it. At our recent meeting, it didn’t really arise. Definitely, it’s a disappointment that the teams don’t get the chance to play but they do in the other three provinces.

“It’s my opinion that it’s of benefit for colleges to play in the accident tournaments when you have full access to the players whereas the colleges in Munster now have to go and look for challenge games without their full complement of players.”

Tully doesn’t sense any of Connacht, Leinster or Ulster will follow Munster’s example — “there have been no murmurs of discontent”.

Instead, it’s counties whose approach to the competitions is under the microscope with, apart from Tipperary not participating, Donegal’s footballers fielding their U21s, Dublin and Mayo on holiday and Kilkenny returning after their first round Walsh Cup game. Last year, they opted to field their U21 side.

Tully remarked: “Counties missing their college players would have the opportunity to give other players a run. It’s not a be-all and end-all tournament although for certain managers it is. But for the more successful ones it isn’t but then they might have more resources.

“I know Longford a couple of years ago had a problem with the amount of colleges taking players but we met with Longford and a compromise was met so not all the colleges had to take their men. There has to be an approach of compromise and commonsense taken to these things.”

With the GAA keen to tighten up the seaso, Tully can foresee Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cup finals moved to midweek slots instead of the traditional finals weekends.

He added: “If all colleges held exams before Christmas I’d have no problem in the competitions taking place in January alone but that’s not going to happen.”

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan said Munster are adopting a wait-and-see approach to Galway’s recent motion calling for them to explore the idea of entering all their hurling teams in one province.

“They have a motion going forward to Congress next month and we will see what will come of that. Everything is on hold until then. It’s not really fair on Galway to speculate. Depending on the decision of Congress there may very well be a chance of a change to the championship. But nothing can be said until then — speculation isn’t always the best policy.”