GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 20 – February 22, 2015 | Page 42

THE ALLIANZ
FOOTBALL LEAGUE
SEE-SAW
Tommy Moran, former national referee and long-time GAA
administrator, looks forward to the resumption of the football league,
a competition whose importance should not be under-estimated.

– TOMMY MORAN
FEBRUARY 10, 2015
The last few weeks have seen the many ups and downs in
the Sigerson Cup Competitions and the excitement of the
AIB All Ireland Club Championships. Big days have come
in Croke Park for the Junior and Intermediate Clubs who
got their moments in the sun, and rightly so, for the players, officials and for the ultra-loyal supporters. Irrespective of how big or small the local parish may be, the pride
is there in their own team, the level doesn’t matter that
much.
Of course there was more emphasis on the AIB Senior
semi-finals and, boy, they gave us all a thrill a minute.
And so it comes to pass and not for the first time, that two
rural clubs will do battle in Croke Park on St. Patrick’s
Day for the ultimate prize.

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TAKING STOCK
However, there is a longing building up throughout the land for the re-start of the Allianz Football
League next week. Counties will have had three weeks
to take stock of where they are in the table and prepare accordingly. Some counties will be able to call
on those players no longer on club duty, more third
level students will again be available, others may return from injury or suspension, even more that were
in dry dock for the winter will be persuaded back to
the dressing room, so a number of teams will feature changed line-outs. Managers may suggest that
the league is not that important, but yet I never came
across one who didn’t want to win every game.