“That’s not what the GAA is about.”
The Tipperary footballers, management and the Tipperary football board are all disappointed but their county board are ploughing on regardless.
On Tuesday night, club delegates from Tipperary voted in favour of backing the Super 8 proposal for the knock-out stages of the football championship. This came as a shock to many in the hurling-mad county as early talk had been of a heavy Super 8 defeat.
On The GAA Hour Football Show, Tipperary boss Liam Kearns was as open and honest about the swift volte-face as he could possibly be. He says:
“It is disappointing from our point of view. The football board, the players and the management made it clear that we were not for the proposals and, unfortunately, the county board have voted for them.
“It is made all the more disappointing when we had the year we had last year [reaching the All-Ireland semi final].”
Kearns says there was no ambiguity about the football board’s position, but all involved were told the club delegates would be the decision makers. So it turned out as the motion in favour of the Super 8 was passed 36 votes to 20.
Kearns believes the visit of GAA director general Paraic Duffy to the Tipperary county board, earlier this year, led to a dramatic “metamorphosis effect” on club delegates. “We were against it a number of months ago, at least that was the impression we were given,” said Kearns, “and last Tuesday night we voted for it.”
The argument that the new championship structure benefits club players has been dismissed by Kearns, who notes that the Club Players Association is not being permitted to address the issue at this weekend’s meeting of GAA Congress.
One of Kearns’ biggest concerns is that his squad, if they do reach the final eight, will be severely tested by the week-on-week grind of big games. He says:
“It is well documented that we started the same 15 players for four championship games in a row and we used 17 or 18 players in most of those matches.
“I’d say, yes, it’s going to be nearly impossible for there to be a repetition of last year for Tipperary or counties like Tipperary.”
Kearns is resigned to the Super 8 trial getting the go-ahead after receiving a two-thirds majority this weekend.
“It is very disappointing that the views of the management, players and the views of the football side of the board didn’t seem to be listened to.”
Tap play below to listen to the full Liam Kearns interview on The GAA Hour Football Show.
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