GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 36 - October 17, 2015 | Page 29

There are counties who have been trying since 1884 to win an
All Ireland, even to appear in one, and by 2084, they will still
be trying, with the same amount of luck. As Our Lord said one
time, “the poor you will always have with you”, but, in fairness,
he probably wasn’t referring to the chase for the Sam Maguire.
Maybe he was, and if He were around now, I think He would
convince Congress to bring in the second tier, or come up with
some workable solution that would attract the lower sixteen
teams. Training your heart out for predictable wallopings’ must
lose its attractiveness for many a county panel. We all like an
incentive. We will hope and pray that the GAA will be given
guidance. And soon.

MERCIFUL
THINGS TO DO
Our Lord also said “Blessed are the merciful”. Stronger teams
are inclined to forget that, as they pummel the opposition, going
for goals when the result is well and truly in the bag. Flicking
over a point would be a more merciful option, but then every
player wants to clock up scores to impress for the next day. Everyone wants to be on the fifteen, even though most games see
the benches emptied. Often when the fifteen are named, there is
a last second switch to confuse the opposition. Apparently there
is a name for that, it’s called psychology, the science of the mind.

These weeks will be a time of reflection for more than the
players. There are bills to be paid, more finance to be raised,
books to be balanced, award winners to be selected, Club Lotto
tickets to be sold, new sponsors to be sourced, conventions to
be planned, annual reports to be written, motions to be submitted, reviews of county competitions to be undergone, development loans to be applied for, pitches and facilities to be
maintained --- a whole plethora of tasks that take so much
time and no little commitment.

REFLECTIONS
CHANGE?
Club championships are now well underway, so that most players are winding down for the year. Some, like the Mayo team,
face a winter of discontent, unless problems are sorted. The Kerry side will probably have plenty to think about too, wondering
just what went wrong on the last lap. For Tyrone there has to be
a sense of satisfaction, tinged with regret that they could have
stolen Kerry’s thunder, but with great anticipation for next year.
Fermanagh, probably the poster boys for much of the championship, will also relish the thoughts of getting back into action.
Naturally, happiest of all are the Dubs, who arouse exhilaration
every time they take the field. Worthy champions.

The 2015 Championship is now part of the History books,
so it’s on to 2016. The coming year will see plenty of nostalgia
and commemoration, but will we see any sign of championship change? Whether we do or not, we can now come very
close to naming the top four or five that will be in the shake-up
for Sam. We could also have a fair shot at forecasting for 2017
and well beyond.
Tommy Moran is a former national GAA referee and past
county & provincial GAA administrator.

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