Basquel critical of new championship scheduling

Ballyboden St Enda’s captain Ryan Basquel has echoed TJ Reid’s criticism of the changes to schedule of the All-Ireland senior club championships.

Although manager Anthony Rainbow has backed the semi-finals moving from February to the first weekend in January and Basquel’s team-mate Conal Keaney doesn’t mind the switch, Basquel thinks it’s asking a lot of players.

Ballyboden have a Dublin Division 1 final to play on December 17 too and the forward would prefer if there was now a break until February to face Kilcoo — and if not, have it played before Christmas. “Personally, I think it’s much better when it’s February and March. It’s just way too cramped. I’d understand if it was all done before Christmas.

“But TJ Reid said it the last day; he’s an inter-county player and I’m a club player and I don’t... see the sense of it being played in January. But... whenever we have to play, we’ll play it.”

Rainbow is keen on the idea of not having to wait until February. “I think it’s a good thing. It’s great to be training during the Christmas period.

A lot of people are probably going to be doing their pre-season, we’re hopefully finishing our season off over the next three or four weeks.

Basquel’s beautiful point put Ballyboden ahead in additional time, and it was typical of how the team have seen out many of their championship victories this season.

“I was going to get lynched if I didn’t score that one! Ah, we’ve done the work all year. You have to keep backing yourself and if it’s on, you take it on.

“Warren Egan came off the bench and he kicked an unbelievable score to level us. That confidence went throughout the team and then thankfully, I got the next one.

“Unbelievable time to get them (scores). We just knew we had to keep plugging along. All our games this year; Na Fianna went down to the wire, Jude’s went down to the wire. So we know it’s going to go down to the wire and you’ve just got to keep playing in those crucial minutes.

“That’s why you train. There’s no point going into the shell. If you think it’s on, you’ve got to go for it.”