Cork's divisional debate: Time for change or maintain the status quo?

At tonight’s Cork GAA convention, club delegates will decide whether or not divisional teams should be excluded from the county senior championships. A motion to be tabled by Glen Rovers is seeking to delete bye-law 41, which permits the board to allow divisional side enter the senior championships.

Cork's divisional debate: Time for change or maintain the status quo?

At tonight’s Cork GAA convention, club delegates will decide whether or not divisional teams should be excluded from the county senior championships. A motion to be tabled by Glen Rovers is seeking to delete bye-law 41, which permits the board to allow divisional side enter the senior championships.

This year was the first occasion since 1998 that a divisional team reached both the Cork senior hurling and football finals. The Imokilly hurlers, who had 10 points to spare over Midleton when successfully defending their Cork hurling crown, boasted an average winning margin of 11 points throughout this year’s championship. We asked five chairmen, whose clubs field senior teams, whether this motion was a knee-jerk reaction to Imokilly’s growing dominance and should divisional teams be left continue in the senior championship. The five chairmen were also asked for their views on a second Glen Rovers motion which would prevent third-level club sides (UCC and CIT) from using players who also play for senior clubs in counties outside of Cork. If this motion is passed, it would then go before Congress next spring.

Aidan O’Connor, Douglas: A lot of people have respect for what the divisions are doing. If the divisions aren’t there, will the next Seamus Harnedy get an opportunity for the big stage? Is this [motion] a bit like the reaction to the Dublin footballers, whereby we only started to complain about Dublin once they began to dominate. We are only complaining about the divisions since Imokilly started to dominate.

A lot of us senior clubs are probably afraid that Imokilly are going to turn into a Dublin and dominate for five years. As someone joked at our meeting when discussing this motion, next we will have a motion to split Imokilly in two. But if Fr O’Neill’s were to win a premier intermediate county, then, all of a sudden, Imokilly are weakened. I don’t see this motion getting through.

Success is cyclical and prior to Imokilly’s back-to-back success, the main complaint clubs had against divisions was their poor preparations, that they were turning up for games with 15 players and they shouldn’t be allowed continue due to lack of interest. All of a sudden, now, we are trying to move the goalposts and say that the divisions are gone too strong. Should Imokilly be penalised for being successful? I don’t think so.

The set-up they have is excellent and what Fergal Condon and Jimmy Smiddy have done is to bring Imokilly to another level. Their organisation is second to none. It is up to everyone to catch up to them, rather than kick them out. I think the Glen Rovers motion regarding the colleges will be passed.

Ger McCarthy, Clonakilty: We met on Monday and had a good discussion on the motions. There was a clear view that being allowed to play in two championships in Cork in the same year, be it junior or intermediate with your club and senior with your division, is a bit of a mockery.

A club with senior and intermediate teams can’t interchange players. If a player plays senior with his club then he cannot play at the lower grade for the remainder of the year.

The ground rules are not level. It’s one rule for club players and another for divisional players.

As a club, we don’t have a problem with divisional teams playing in the senior championship, provided that once a player plays senior, he doesn’t revert back to playing junior or intermediate with his club that same year.

They make a choice, in that they play in only one championship and are not allowed to be hopping back and forth.

It shouldn’t be the case that a player from a senior club can only play in one championship, but a player from a club in the lower grades can simultaneously play in two championships. I don’t think that’s right. We would like if a player declared for one or the other.

There was also clear support in our club that somebody who plays senior championship in Cork should not be allowed play senior championship in any other county, or vice versa, in the same year.

You shouldn’t have the situation which you had a couple of years ago where lads decided to play with UCC in Cork and then when it came to the Munster championship, they decided to revert back to their home club, Dr Crokes. That made a mockery of the Cork championship.

Gerard O’Donovan, Newcestown: I think it is a bit unfair that you can have a divisional side, which pulls lads from six, seven or eight clubs, coming up against a single club and knocking that club out of the senior championship. It is very hard to compete against them.

We could have Imokilly beaten in this year’s hurling quarter-final. We only lost to them by a point. We were the team that came closest to them throughout the championship.

There are some very good teams in the senior hurling championship, but Imokilly are probably that little bit ahead of the pack.

Nobody mentioned at our AGM the possibility of us having gone further in the county senior championship had Imokilly not been involved. Nobody was thinking like that. When you are in the senior championship, you know there is a very strong chance you will meet a divisional side.

When you go up senior, you expect to meet the best of the best. Either you are going to compete with them or you are not. There is no point moaning about it. You should aim to get up to the level Imokilly are at.

Liam Ryan, Midleton: I don’t see there being much support for the motion to remove divisional teams from the county senior championships. For smaller clubs, the divisions are a good thing. Now, Imokilly are very strong at the moment.

They have so many intermediate and premier intermediate clubs feeding into them.

Their success may be cyclical, but that is the case with clubs, as well. It is hard on clubs. Clubs have to keep going, as well.

There are strong views on the motion with regard to senior club players from outside the county lining out for UCC (or CIT).A lot of people are not happy that senior club players from outside Cork can line out for the two colleges in the county championship. It is hard to justify.

Tom O’Callaghan, Kanturk: These divisional teams are made up of three or four strong players from various junior and intermediate clubs and these lads are the backbone of their club teams.

The divisional team gives them an opportunity to test themselves against senior club players. Why should they not get that opportunity?

A lot of these divisional teams are pulling players from little clubs who are barely able to put out 15 players and are battling for survival, due to emigration and other issues. If this motion is passed, these players may look elsewhere. It could be detrimental to smaller clubs.

This motion is attempting to put a big fence in front of small clubs. If this is carried, they’ll think this is the county board saying they don’t give a shite about us.

Is there a jealousy because Imokilly won back-to-back? I have no doubt St Ita’s have received a big boost from having lads involved with county senior championship winning teams and that is encouraging young lads in that small club.

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