​​​​​​​County teams need their time to prepare - O'Brien
Marrying time for club games in April with ensuring inter-county teams are adequately prepared for the summer championship remains a difficult one to agree on Tipperary football committee chairman Barry O'Brien said at their annual convention at the Anner Hotel, Thurles last Wednesday night.
In the course of his address, the Father Sheehy's clubman and former county chairman felt that the large number of club games in April this year impacted negatively on Tipperary's preparations for championship, in both football and hurling.
“A lot of talk has been going on regarding the April month for clubs,” he began.
“There is no doubt that clubs are hugely important and there is no doubt that we here in Tipperary have a level of expectation when it comes to our county teams and that expectation will come to nothing if we don't give the teams time enough to prepare for the championship.
“Our losses in football and in hurling this year were partly down to the month of April and the lack of time that was given to preparation for county teams.
“It is a tough conundrum and a tough square to round. Something has to be done and it's proposed that there will only be one round of hurling and one round of football in April next year and I hope we stick to these proposals,” said O'Brien with hurling championship games down for 8th April with football on the 15th, leaving a four week lead in for both the Tipperary senior hurlers and footballers who begin their Munster Championship campaigns on 11th & 12th May.
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