Intermediate club hurlers in Cork get bizarre request ahead of new season

'If we are to be successful we will have seven matches to win the county.'

Sarsfield's are not messing about in 2017. The hurling club have set some lofty ambitions down for Cork first and Ireland after that. Higher standards are expected, and that goes for the second team as well. In the wake of the contentious and stringent players' contract for St Brigid's footballers in Dublin, a member of Sarsfields contacted SportsJOE with a leaflet [pictured below] circulated to their intermediate hurlers. Many of the requests seem to be reasonable enough. The membership fee is €150 whether you want to use the gym or not but most players will use the facilities at some stage so no major qualms. There is also the prospect of the team taking part in the senior hurling championship so 2017 is full of potential. It's when the leaflet gets to 'Holidays' that matters get complicated. Players are advised to 'Take no holidays in 2017'. Nope. None at all. The reasoning for this request is that any player that took a holiday in 2016 lost their form and a Junior A county title slipped through the club's fingers. From the outside, looking in, it would seem somewhat harsh for a hurling club - intermediate or not - to tell its players that all holidays in 2017 are off limits but we know how seriously they take their hurling in Cork. The topic of player contracts and charters was discussed on the most recent GAA Hour, with host Colm Parkinson particularly riled by the matter. He declared:

"You can go on holidays whenever you want!  "Like, if you miss a league game, you miss a league game. Is this the height of the dictatorship - that a league game is going to dictate a family holiday? "That you could have got a good deal on flights, accommodation, everything, and your manager says 'You can't go on holiday that week and your children aren't going on holidays.' "Oh Lord, you'd have to bring the manager to your house and say, 'You tell my children. You break it to them'."

Latest #GAAHour in the can. Of course St Brigid's contract gets it in the neck from @woolberto Subscribe on iTunes https://t.co/ZjP1Ehqfbf pic.twitter.com/qcN4OKlyFr

— SportsJOE.ie (@SportsJOEdotie) January 11, 2017

Well said but will those words permeate to The Rebel County? If so, happy holidays.