By
Brendan Boylan

Having to continually write about a problematic situation is as boring for a wordsmith as it is for members of the sports following public reading the said material. That said, if it takes bleeding a subject to make those who occupy the corridors of power do what needs to be done, no apologies will be made for it.

Now, it is all too well known that only a very limited number of counties can harbour realistic ambitions of winning the All Ireland SHC. There’s not that many that can make the claim in Gaelic Football either, but the number in Hurling is even more miniscule. And, rather than doing something to arrest that situation, the GAA have knocked back the chances of another county breaking into the golden circle with the latest mooted ridiculous changes to the National League structures.

Yours truly has been commenting for a long time about how the situation which saw only the winners of Division 2 promoted was unfair. Well; now things have got even worse because, as things stand, Limerick were not afforded promotion following their victory over Clare in the early part of the year. You’d feel bad enough for the men recently taken over by Davy Fitzgerald having reached the Final twice and got nothing for it, but things now look like they’re going to get even more farcical with winners Limerick being denied the step up to the top grade as things stand.

Many might see their threatened boycott of the League as extreme or even militant, but frankly it’s very easy to understand and to be applauded. The GAA only seem to react to drastic action. Often in a heavy handed and draconian way as was seen with the humiliation of Wexford footballer Anthony Masterson earlier this season. That’s when things aren’t going as they would like.

But what happens when the Brains Trust don’t do their jobs as they should and thus let players down? Who holds the powerful to task? The players are the most important element in the GAA, their needs and wishes should be understood and catered for at all times and above all else. Mind you, remember it took a few strikes in Cork before players done there got a fair deal.

On that very subject, hindsight does indeed reveal a clearer picture. This writer openly admits keyboarding a piece entitled ‘Cork cannot hold the GAA to ransom’ when some of the strikes were in progress down by the Lee. However, having read Donal Og Cusack’s excellent autobiography Come What May, it was very easy to understand why the players withdrew their services.

The GAA needs to take Limerick’s stance very seriously. Players take part in sport for enjoyment primarily, obviously, but also to improve and develop their skills to be the best they can be. Trophies, medals and material rewards are of course an important part of every sporting situation, but being afforded the opportunity to display their talents and skills at the highest level and pit themselves against the best in the business in one way means a lot more to players.

Limerick currently aren’t being given that chance. This at a juncture when the window to autumn glory is open to all too few. The Treaty men looked most likely to break into the inner sanctum with the emergence of talent in the guise of Declan Hannon and Kevin Downes and the return of some of those who had exiled themselves for a period. That said, the feeling that trouble is never far away from Limerick hurling is only magnified when one sees Donal O’Grady departing his role as manager after just one term.

You cannot help feeling that whatever progress has been made down there will be stifled if the Division 2 winners are not allowed to their rightful place. The progress Limerick did make was one of the stories of what was a decent Hurling year, albeit with a predictable ending.