RIP Dual Player.
There was once a time when someone who could operate a hurl and a football wasn’t just respected, but revered.
There was once a time when dual players seemingly led the way as the real role models of Gaelic Games.
Now, they’re like nothing more than an annoyance to the poor sods tasked with trying to shoehorn football and hurling and camogie fixtures into the one calendar – taking club, age groups, counties and schools into account too.
You might say it’s an impossible task but is it more difficult than what it is trying to play two different codes?
Jesus, you’d nearly have thought that a few girls who are good enough and dedicated enough to represent their school and province would be celebrated.
Congrats to our 1st winner of the night. Our January Sportsperson are the St.Josephe’s Rochfortbridge Camogie Team #WEsport16 pic.twitter.com/zy2uw9thFT
— Westmeath Examiner (@WHExaminer) January 13, 2017
But life isn’t one bit easy for the ladies of St. Joseph’s Rochfortbridge in Westmeath.
- On Saturday 21 January, the school is set for a Post-Primary B Leinster Camogie final.
- On Saturday 21 January, 10 of them are selected to represent Leinster in the Ladies Football Post-Primary Inter-Provincial blitz.
Now, they have to make their choice.
The inter-pros football tournament takes place in Kinnegad on Saturday.
The Leinster schools camogie final takes play in Heywood on Saturday.
You can’t be at two places at once, playing two codes at once, representing your school and your province at once.
Three of the dual players in question – Ruth O’Connor, Hannah Core, and Aoife O’Malley – are from Killucan and the club is bewildered at the events unfolding.
Ciara O’Looney, a team mate of the girls, contacted SportsJOE to highlight the injustice of what is taking place.
“The utter disregard and disrespect towards the girls who have worked tirelessly through the year for their positions on both teams, traveling long distances to train, now their hard work has been compromised and they are forced to make a heartbreaking decision,” O’Looney said.
“We, their team mates, have to watch some of our closest friends cry over a situation they should not be in.
“You claim to encourage girls to participate in sports and show respect for one another but yet in their time of need you do not show the respect that these young sports stars deserve.
“These two school related events of an extremely high honour are not something that every girl gets the opportunity to participate in and now our girls are not getting the recognition and reward to enjoy both as they deserve.”
One dual player involved is said to be a leaving cert student who has dedicated countless hours to both projects outside of her studies but now may never get the chance to fulfill one or the other again in this her last year at the school.
Both games are still scheduled for Saturday and Rochfortbrdige coach and teacher, Sarah Crosby, appeared on Midlands 103 Radio at lunchtime on Friday to reveal that there was still no solution offered.
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