GAA focus shifts to the clubs
The timing of the early stages of the GAA Club Championships might not be welcomed by many but there is certainly a sense of expectation this week as we build-up to the opening salvos next weekend.
It’s just a pity that this April window for club championship is so short as just as clubs wind themselves up and the fans get into the competitions, it will stop after just 2-3 weeks and won’t resume again until Tipperary’s campaigns in senior hurling and football come to and end, hopefully not til August.
Despite the expanded leagues providing games for club players through the summer, championship is what it is all about in Tipperary and certainly the April window, while well intentioned hasn’t worked out for neither the club player nor the county player who are caught in the middle between having to be at his best for the club, but also having one eye on the inter-county championship in just over a months time.
It’s an issue that needs addressing but for the moment, we here in Tipperary and many other counties are stuck with it but must make the best of it and certainly they is plenty on the slate this weekend and next to keep the club fans happy in the short term.
The senior and intermediate hurling championships may well have begun in the Mid, West and South divisions last weekend but for many, next Saturday and Sunday is where the real action begins as the race for Dan Breen, Seamus O Riain and Jacksie Ryan Cups get underway.
In all, there are 22 group matches in the county senior hurling, Seamus O Riain and intermediate championship down for decision across fourteen venues and off the back of successful initiatives over the past two years, Tipperary County Board are again promoting a weekend pass where for just €15, patrons can attend as many games as they wish over both days. This package can be purchased from gate checkers at all games on Saturday or from the Tipperary GAA Shop in Lar na bPairce all this week up to Saturday at 5.30pm.
For the die-hards of the club game, there is the possibility of picking up two games on Saturday and a further four on Sunday depending on the games they wish to take in.
Not only that, there is a bonus for those who can’t get to a game as with the gap between the end of the National League and the beginning of the championship, TG4 are expanding their superb coverage of the club championships, by showing early round games of which, Clonoulty/Rossmore and Borris-Ileigh in Holycross next Sunday at 2.00pm, will be shown fully with deferred coverage from around 4.00pm, following the Galway senior hurling championship game between All Ireland runners-up St Thomas’ and Liam Mellows.
With Clonoulty beginning the defence of their title won so impressively last year and with Brendan Maher and Dan McCormack returning for Borris-Ileigh is just one of a number of eye-catching fixtures over the course of the weekend which Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy will be monitoring for the form of his players.
One of those may well be Alan Flynn who sustained a knee injury in training ten days ago with Tipperary and is having scan this week to judge the severity of it with the management optimistic that is it not too bad.
However, there are major concerns for Tipp under 20 manager Liam Cahill after Eoghan Connolly limped out of Cashel King Cormacs West championship defeat to Clonoulty/Rossmore last Sunday with what appears a serious knee injury, more of which will be known after a scan this week.
Full previews of the runners and riders in both the Senior & Intermediate Championships in a 4 page special in this weeks Guardian