All their good work undone.
Tipperary are fearing the doomsday outcome if the Tommy Murphy Cup is resuscitated at Congress – promising footballers focusing on hurling, lads emigrating for the summer and a promising generation drifting away from football.
You’ll forgive Clonmel’s Michael Quinlivan if his total focus has not been on Saturday week’s AIB All-Ireland club semi-final clash with Ballyboden St Enda’s of Dublin.
With Armageddon on the horizon the 22-year-old has also been dabbling with the GPA in recent months and provided input into their Championship proposal structure that was ultimately nixed by Croke Park in early 2016.
Of the three championship reform motions that will go before delegates at this month’s annual Congress in Carlow, the GPA’s proposal to double the amount of games will not feature on the Clár.
Quinlivan admits the GAA proposal that would see Division 4 sides compete in a “Tommy Murphy” style competition is a prospect that would terrify most footballers in the country, not least in Tipperary.
“To be thinking about that, it would be catastrophic. It would be very hard to motivate yourself to go and play in a B championship, that’s the way I would look at it.
“I think you’d find a lot of players would play the first round and then just go, ‘not for me’. I think you could find a lot more people could be heading to America for the summers and that sort of thing.”
The 22-year-old was speaking as he was named the AIB Munster club footballer of the year for 2015/16. The full-forward was recognised among 10 other players as being one of ‘The Toughest’ GAA club players of the last 12 months.
After unparalleled success at underage over the last five years at both minor and Under-21, it’s hoped that under Liam Kearns Tipperary can can make a significant step-up at senior level.
However Quinlvan understands that if his club progress to the 17th March All-Ireland decider, he will miss most of the Allianz League, a position that would put the county side in great danger of slipping into Division 4.
The Munster Club footballer of the year admits Clonmel’s gain could very much be Tipperary’s loss.
“Obviously we want to get to the club final and we’ll take the punishment with Tipp if that’s what happens. But it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out over the next six weeks I think.”
He took an active role in the GPA process before Christmas and presented what he felt needed to be changed to the GPA before being asked on to the committee. The full-forward admits that players feel there is an urgent need for a radical alteration to the current championship structure.
“Maybe it might go back and maybe it might be revamped again before Congress, who knows. But the Championship format issue is a huge issue in the GAA at the moment, for everybody, supporters, players, everyone and something definitely has to be done about it.”
Not a B Championship though. In Quinlivan’s opinion that would be a catastrophe.
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