DECLAN Bonner believes the GAA must bring the All-Ireland club championships inside the calendar year and he would have no issue with the inter-county season being further condensed if “it’s been well thought out”.
He finds himself heading into the National League without a considerable contingent from Ulster club champions Gaoth Dobhair, who will meet reigning All-Ireland champions Corofin in their semi-final in three weeks’ time.
They are Donegal’s first representatives in the senior All-Ireland club series since St Joseph’s in 1974, and it leaves the county team starting life in Division Two without Neil McGee, Odhran Mac Niallais, Michael Carroll, Cian Mulligan, Daire O Baoill, Naoise O Baoill and Odhran McFadden-Ferry.
Donegal have also had a dozen players involved with various institutions in third level competitions in recent weeks and Bonner believes the entire calendar needs work.
“The third level competitions are great for the colleges, great for these guys, and they’re important. But it’s just the timing. It’s not just a colleges problem, it’s a whole GAA calendar problem that needs to be addressed.
“We’re starting a National League campaign, managers are looking at these players and you can’t be prepared properly. It has to be fitted in, no more than the club situation, which I feel also needs looked at.
“Gaoth Dobhair playing a match in early December, winning Ulster and there’s no match again for 10, 12 weeks. It takes those players out of our equation.
“We’ve never been in this situation before so we didn’t realise the extent of it. It’s something that needs to be looked at. The club scene needs to be played within the calendar year.
“The third level competitions need looked at. All you’re doing is putting pressure on young lads coming in. There’s colleges, scholarships, county managers looking at them – it needs to be looked at. People talk about player welfare, and it’s putting a lot of extra pressure on young fellas that they don’t need.”
The GAA shook up its calendar last year by tightening the inter-county championships and introducing a break from inter-county action in April, but the club championships ran along the same schedule as before.
“It’s not just about the inter-county scene. It’s important that the clubs have that window.
“If it [the inter-county championship] was brought forward another month and it’s been well thought out, and that’s going to benefit, I’d have absolutely no issue.
“For the minute, January has been hectic. The McKenna Cup started, it’s great from our point of view that we get competitive matches but right in the middle of it you have the third level competitions.
“There’s guys that are playing 3 or 4 matches in 8 or 9 days. That’s too much at this time of year. All of a sudden you have players breaking down.
“The whole calendar needs to be looked at. I know they’re doing that but there’s no real answers coming out. The club, to me, has to be finished in the calendar year.
“Leaving your provincial champions for 12 weeks is ridiculous, to be quite honest. I know they go down the road on Patrick’s Day for the club final and that’s the tradition, but to me it has to change. That’s just being realistic.”
Headlines this week have been dominated by the GAA’s decision to increase ticket prices ahead of the start of the Allianz Leagues.
While Donegal’s fixture list hasn’t been unkind, their three away games this spring are all in Munster. Bonner says he has empathy with fans being lumbered with more expense.
“You look at us this weekend, and the cost for supporters for our three away games. Donegal are among the best supporters you’ll get, they travel in good numbers.
“We’re going to Ennis this weekend, then Tipperary in two weeks’ time and our other away game is Cork. That’s three overnight stops.
“You can imagine bringing a family away to a National League game, overnight accommodation, fuel, everything else that goes with it, it’ll be a costly thing.”
