No pre-season competitions presents major opportunity for third level GAA
Mark Fitzgerald of UL in action against Diarmuid Ryan of MICL during the 2024 Fitzgibbon Cup final. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
There’s an air of optimism in certain quarters. In others, the approach is to wait and see. All agree, though, there is an opportunity. An opportunity that must be grasped.
The opportunity is to change the usual January conversation. No more lamenting the congested fixture schedule. No more lamenting the squeezing of third-level competitions.
No more finger-wagging at the high volume of games, packed into a teeny-tiny period, that players who fall under the yet-to-establish-themselves banner must submit themselves to. No more ridiculous situations of players lining out twice in the one day. No more season-ending injuries because of that high-volume January games load packed too tightly.
When Central Council communicated its decision last Saturday that the January pre-season competitions were being suspended in 2025, the usual stakeholders were contacted for their reaction.
Provincial secretaries lamented the financial hit to their coffers. Inter-county managers lamented the removal of games where Jim Gavin’s new rules could be trialed ahead of the National League.
Ask the players, says UCC GAA development officer John Grainger. They will not lament the loss of the McGrath Cup, the O’Byrne Cup, and every other pre-season Cup that is handed over in the wind and rain and muck of January.
“I am speaking as an administrator, but it is the players who will tell you they want to play Sigerson and they want to play Fitzgibbon. And everyone will say, sure we know that. But no, they don't know that because they don't ask and they don't listen,” Grainger begins.
“Players will tell you that period from November to when the competitions are over in mid-February is one of the most rewarding times of their young lives, and I don't think that is fully recognised, and that is coming from someone who has been at this game since the mid-80s.”
Grainger is in the wait-and-see camp. He’s not yet convinced the suspension of pre-season competitions will guarantee third-level players a January free of fatigue and overburdening. He knows inter-county teams will still be playing games in January. He just hopes that common sense prevails.
“Maybe this suspension of pre-season competitions might ease a lot of the congestion, but when it comes to third level, I am experienced enough to know that you just have to wait and see will it benefit the students.
“I just hope that both parties, third-level and inter-county management, will say this is an opportunity to let players enjoy third-level without playing a whole host of inter-county fixtures at the same time.
“I think it should be grasped and I hope it is respected. I hope it gives players a break from the usual punishing match schedule.”
Brian Ryan, who guided UL to the last three Fitzgibbon Cup finals, winning the first two, is more optimistic of a reduced January load for players.
With inter-county games to go behind closed doors in the absence of pre-season competitions, Ryan insists there will be significantly less pressure on managers to produce January victories, therefore reducing the need to call upon players already lining out midweek for their colleges.
“The suspension of pre-season competitions will take a little bit of the pressure off inter-county managers and hopefully this will give them a greater opportunity to release players to play third-level games.
“I know provincial secretaries are talking about financial losses, but from a player point of view, there is a huge pressure on players, particularly younger players trying to make their way onto senior inter-county panels and teams, while at the same time having a strong desire to play Fitzgibbon. It is competing interests for a very short window of about four weeks.
“There is very little flexibility. By taking away these competitions, I think it will ease congestion on players.”
University of Galway boss Jeff Lynskey envisages an improvement on what was being unfairly asked of players in recent Januarys.
The extent of that improvement, he noted, will depend on what date inter-county teams are permitted to return to collective training. The closer that date is to January, the greater the players’ workload will be at the same time as they are attempting to fulfil third-level duties.
“Getting the balance right in terms of their loading is essential. In past years, they were playing Fitzgibbon on a Thursday, senior training on a Friday, and then had Walsh Cup on a Sunday, and if they hadn’t established themselves with their county, they were under pressure to perform on Sunday. They found that extremely hard.
“Will it help them that it will be an in-house game on the Sunday this January and they are not in the public eye, yeah definitely.”
A word of caution to conclude.
“There will only be change if county managers trust what the colleges are doing in training them once a week, gym once a week, and one match a week.”
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