Time to split the split season

It had to happen, as sure as night follows day, but the GAA's long heralded split season is already facing calls for a split from some of the most vociferous supporters of the proposal!

I'm not sure if it is an uniquely Irish trait but after years and years of campaigning about the plight of the club player and the county's game's overpowering shadow, the GAA acted and gave everyone what they wanted - clearly defined seasons for club and county but some are not happy.

Leitrim GAA appoint former Sligo player and Roscommon coach Luke Bree as new Senior team selector

Ballinamore's own Tommy Conlon wrote a brilliant piece in The Sunday Independent detailing the mystery ailments of the GAA man missing out on his traditional September All-Irelands fix - the headline “Cutting off the months of August and September is tantamount to a psychic amputation” summing up the piece much better than I ever could.

You could take Tommy's column any way you want - a literal lament for the old days or a faintly satirical look at those pinning for the good old days  as the GAA attempts to cater for the needs of the vast majority of their players through a radical reimagining of the  season.

The traditions of the GAA community were thrown up in a heap by the new split season but we have to be fair here and stress that it is far too early to judge the success or failure of the split season based on just nine months of this year. If there was a fault, it came in basing the entire policy on the Covid-enforced season of 2020 and then flipping it on its head by putting county first and then club.

Much of the unhappiness is driven by the National media who have found themselves with nothing to do during the months of August and September - months normally filled with the closing stages of the All-Ireland Finals. It is from this sector that most complaints are now being held as the national media are forced to schlep around club games up and down the country.

Now we're hearing about the GAA losing valuable promotional value by ending the inter-county season six weeks earlier than normal, along with complaints about even less access to players due to the constrained nature of the championships - a situation likely to get worse next year with extra games in an even tighter timeframe.

A split second can change everything

THE LAST POINT

There's merit in those arguments but then, as they like to say themselves, the GAA is not a purely sporting organisation - it is a cultural and community one two and the crossover between club and county,  schools and colleges leave it with a unique set of problems to overcome.

You'd solve a lot of problems if County and club were  separate entities but that just isn't the GAA way and thank God for that. 

But what I find interesting is that many of the cheerleaders  for the split season and the plight of the club players are now rebelling against the changes they championed. 

Has the coverage of club games increased in TV or print with all this new spare time? Not sure if it has although some outlets have definitely made an effort but generally, articles on the greatest teams and greatest players of the last 50 years have become the staple of GAA coverage rather than an increased focus on club games.

What I do know is that club and county players have embraced the split season - some have actually been able to take holidays during the Summer and County players haven't had to rush headlong back into club championship games. There is far more certainty when the games will be on and players, officials and everyone else is able to plan breaks with partners and families, attend weddings or simply go out every now and then.

A good start IS half the battle

THE LAST POINT

The 10,000-hour rule might be the go-to philosophy for some but recent evidence suggests that late specialisation and multi-disciplinary practice is what produces the great champions

So who exactly are the games for? Players, fans, officials, media or sponsors - I read  O'Neills weren't happy with the new season as they sold less jerseys this year with the shortened time frame between games while some officials are hailing the new system as the saviour of the club games in more than a few counties! 

It is a tough one to solve but players, both club and county, have to be at the forefront of any decision now and in the future.

Fintan McCarthy & Paul O'Donovan celebrate after winning the Lightweight Men's Double Sculls at the World Rowing Championships at Račice in Czech Republic Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach Sportsfile

QUIRKY O’DONOVAN NEEDS TO BE CELEBRATED

Maybe we’re so used to him winning  but it seems as if Paul O’Donovan’s magic is beginning to wear off on some. Ireland’s greatest  rower and maybe this country’s greatest ever sportsman raised hackles with his interview with RTE’s David Gillick after winning a fifth world title at the weekend.

Some termed it rude,  some loved it but maybe,  after 2,000m of lung bursting pain, O’Donovan just wasn’t in the mood seconds after finishing his race. In a later clip with World Rowing, O’Donovan was back to  joking about the size of his biceps of all things!

The reaction  caught me by surprise because O'Donovan is concerned with winning medals, not interviews. If anything, O'Donovan does betray annoyance that most of the commentary focuses on him without acknowledging what his teammate Fintan McCarthy contributes. 

The ugly side of sport needs fixing

THE LAST POINT

In this business, you’re grateful when anyone agrees to chat after a match, they don’t have to but invariably they do. Some piously spout that there is an obligation on a sports person to promote their sport but that line usually comes from those involved in the media.

Of course, it's easier when you win but it amazes me how many agree to talk and explain what went wrong on a day when their dreams turn to dust - it’s not easy and sometimes it feels like intruding on a wake but players and managers summon up patience and dignity to face up to the media answering questions they’ve probably heard 100 times before.

So maybe give O’Donovan a break - he is being interviewed because of what he achieves on the water. That ranks him among the very best in Irish sport - that’s what we should celebrate about the incredible O’Donovan.