DOWN manager Paddy Tally has called for the 2020 National Football League to be completed, if possible, but with an ‘old school’ Championship to follow rather than the new Tier Two.
The Mournemen are well-placed to secure promotion from Division Three and avoid involvement in that ‘Tailteann Cup’ anyway but Tally has wider concerns for the greater good of all involved with the GAA before any return to action.
“In the year that it is, between now and when football starts again, a lot of people are going to go through very hard times.
“People could lose loved ones, relatives and friends could pass away as a result of the virus. Economically and socially the country’s going to be a different place, so the easier the GAA can make this for the people, the better. The less stress and strain for anyone involved in sport, the better…
“We’re all looking forward to the time we get back playing, that’s the priority in sporting terms.
“Everyone’s priority at the minute is health and welfare but the longer this goes on the more people will be looking forward to getting back to playing sport.”
In the best case scenario of games being able to resume in May, Tally set out how he would like inter-county competitions to proceed:
“I think it’s important that this year’s League is finished out. I think all counties would agree there’s been a lot of work done, most teams were back in training from around November really. A lot of effort has gone in to acquire the points that we did get and I’m sure most counties in similar positions would be saying the same.
“I think it’s really important that the last two rounds of the League are finished out – whether we’re able to play League finals, I don’t know that – to get a totality to this year and know where everyone stands for next year, that’s really important.”
The plan was for the teams which would end up in Divisions Three and Four in 2021 to go into the new Tier Two/ Tailteann Cup this summer, unless they were to reach their provincial final.
However, Tally does not believe that should happen now: “As regards the Championship, it would be difficult this year to run off the new Championship which the GAA were planning. No one really knew how well that would work anyway so that’s just more uncertainty.
“They may have to look at a revised Championship for this year because these are exceptional circumstances. Whether they revert back to the Ulster Championship followed by a straight knock-out or if there’s some way of doing a qualifier system, I don’t know…
“Certainly, though, we’re still competitive beings. When we play sport we want to do well and we want to win. There has to be consideration given this year to introducing a new concept, a new Championship.
“It’s been suggested going back to the old style Championship just for a one-off year – straight knockout and the winners of each province going through to play All-Ireland semi-finals and Final, which would be grand. I think anyone would take that this year, they’d be happy.”
As an expert on physical fitness and training, Tally cautioned that there should not be a rush back into competitive action when the opportunity does present itself, certainly not at elite level:
“There’d have to be a gap of at least two or three weeks minimum, if we knew we were getting back playing again.
“The thing is, Gaelic footballers nowadays, especially at inter-county level, do train all the time anyway. Even in the off-season they do look after themselves. Hardly anybody decides to do nothing for two or three months, that doesn’t happen now.
“I’d imagine the players at county level, and even club level, will be ticking over and keeping themselves right, so that when the time comes to get back to training there’ll be a renewed enthusiasm, a buzz to get back at it.
“I think the GAA would have a fair idea of when that time will be coming around and then we’d have to make allowance for a few weeks to get back into collective training and working together again.
“In terms of getting structures and organisation back, you’d need two or three weeks minimum – that might be an opportunity to play those last couple of League matches as a nice lead-in to the Championship, have those couple of games to get ready.
“I think all counties would appreciate that if they had those two rounds of League to prepare for the first round of the Championship. If that was the way it would be absolutely ideal.”
The Galbally man didn’t overlook the club scene either, with greater than ever importance attached to the wider GAA given the current ban on all collective activities:
“Even in terms of time, we have to be cognisant of the clubs, they will want to get back playing as well when that time comes. There will have to be a revised league system for clubs, maybe even championship.
“We have to make space for everyone. It is important that the counties get their competitions played off, if possible, but do it in a fashion that allows club football to flourish and people to get back to it.”
Although he’s been involved with high level GAA for almost two decades, helping Tyrone to their first All-Ireland SFC in 2003 and then working with Derry, Galway, and now Down, as well as leading St Mary’s to a Sigerson Cup triumph, Tally sees the bigger picture of the entire GAA:
“This is more than just sport this year, this will be about getting the GAA family back on the pitches again, children back playing. The societal aspect of what we’re trying to build and what we’re about will have to be factored in as well.
“I think we’ll just be delighted to see the kids playing again, to see pitches full again with people playing sport again, playing our Gaelic games. I think people would nearly agree to anything at this stage to see that happening.”
