ON the day that Croke Park was due to host the All-Ireland U20 Football Championship semi-finals, it became a drive-through Covid-19 testing facility.
Talented young teams representing each of the four provinces and their supporters from Tyrone, Dublin, Kerry and Galway stayed away from GAA Headquarters, inhabited instead by medics and concerned citizens as the Association answered the call in a national emergency.
No-one knows when the 2020 All-Ireland U20 series will be completed, but Tyrone manager Paul Devlin insists that positivity must be embraced throughout this time of uncertainty.
“We always look to positivity. If you look for negative things, you’ll find a lot of negative things,” he said.
“But it’s important to remain sensible with everything that’s going on out there, listen to what people are saying to guide you along, and with a bit of time, it will go by. In a matter of time it will take its course.”
With collective training discontinued under a GAA directive issued last week, the Red Hand squad members are working on an individual basis to maintain fitness levels and retain a state of readiness for a return to action.
Team trainer Conall McElholm quickly devised customised plans for each of the players, which he monitors remotely and updates on an ongoing basis.
“Conall McElholm, from the word go last Thursday, was on the move, sending programmes through to the players.
“Every two days, he’s sending them out stuff for them to work away on themselves, and he will make sure there’s a level of fitness maintained there.
“So all the lads are doing their own stuff on their own, and a lot of them have gym equipment in their own homes, in their garages, or whatever. So they can do their work at home without having to go out to gyms.”
Devlin, who has guided the Red Hands to back-to-back Ulster titles, revealed that as soon as the GAA declared a suspension of all activities in an effort to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, Tyrone responded.
Training sessions which could have gone ahead prior to the commencement of the ban last Thursday night were immediately cancelled by all county squads.
“We could have trained last Thursday, before everything was closed up that night. But we made a decision – no, we’ll not be training at all, and the seniors did the same, everything was called off as soon as the announcement was made that everything had to stop at 12 o clock on Thursday night.
“It was a no-go, and everybody had to pull together, and Garvaghey closed down.
“We didn’t want to be bringing lads up to Garvaghey, and their parents concerned about where they were. They’re best in their home area.”
And the former Tyrone defender said that while the suspension of inter-county action had dominated conversation between GAA fans, it’s important to remember the plight of the thousands of club players whose season has not yet started.
The Tyrone club leagues were due to begin on March 29, but like all other gaelic games action, have been put on hold.
“There’s a lot of competitions that haven’t even started, and you have to be thinking about that.
“We might have 35 lads involved in this, but look at how many lads are involved in club football, doing a lot of training all along right up until this stage.
“And they have played no competitive football. They have a full year’s football still to start, whereas we have nearly finished ours.
“When you look at the club leagues and the club championships, you have to think of those players.
“I’m sure the guys who have to sort it all out will deal with as best they can, once the time arrives that we can move on.
“But until then, we all have to be sensible. We’ll not be doing anything until we get the go-ahead from the hierarchy, and we trust them to guide is along the right way.”
