THE MANAGER of Éire Óg’s u21 footballers has questioned the timing of the championship, claiming it makes preparations difficult and puts a heavy workload on the players.
Former county manager John Kearns said the bulk of his team are playing senior or intermediate football and fitting in u21 training and matches around that is demanding.
Separately, Palatine manager Niall Rennick criticised the decision to play extra time in the quarter-finals in the event of a draw instead of scheduling a replay. He claimed the GAA “seems to be intent on killing u21 football”.
The managers made their remarks after the thrilling game between the teams at Dr Cullen Park last Wednesday.
“Because of the timing, preparation has been practically nil,” Kearns said.
“I’m sure all clubs are the same. We’ve been meeting once a week for the last couple of weeks and before that it was once every two weeks at best.
“They’ll be playing intermediate and senior at the weekend, then training on Monday and a game again next Wednesday so it’s tough going.
“I’m complaining to a degree about the timing of the event, but you’ve got the O’Byrne Cup and the Sigerson Cup in the spring. Later in the year when the season’s over the interest is kind of gone out of it so it’s hard to fit in.”
Ger Lennon, county fixtures secretary, said clubs are entitled to propose changes to the championship, including the timing, by mid-January, but that no proposals were received this year.
He added that while Kearns’ concerns are valid, there doesn’t seem to be an alternative to the current system.
He said that attempts to play the championship during the spring interferes with the county teams at senior and u21 level.
“Either we play the championship now or we play it during November and December,” Lennon said.
“With every championship on a league system apart from the u21 championship, there are matches on every weekend from now until 15 October between football and hurling. I can’t see any way around that unless the championships are changed into different grades.”
Before the changes to the last year’s championship, the timing of the u21 championship was widely criticised.
In 2007, the final between Rathvilly and Burrin Rangers took place in October, over five months after the semi-finals.
“There’s always a county board meeting with the clubs to decide the championships for the following year.
“Two years ago, there was a group put together to revamp the championships and the leagues. There was about three months of work put into the fixtures and the clubs went along with that plan. It’s all the clubs’ doing.”
Palatine lost Wednesday night’s game after an injury-time point by Éire Óg sent the game into extra time.
Two goals in the second half of extra time gave the town side a four-point win.
“I thought a draw was a fair result and I thought it would have been a nice idea to come back and have a replay,” Palatine manager Niall Rennick told The Nationalist.
“I think the GAA seems to be intent on killing u21 football. It was obviously on the fixture beforehand, as far as I used to be aware first round championship matches were always entitled to replays,” Rennick said.
Lennon said however that while it used to be the case in all counties that games would automatically go to replays, extra time is now used instead.
“The original fixtures were sent out in February and it would have said that there would be extra time on that.
“There was no surprise there with anybody to tell you the truth,” Lennon said.