Is Waterford Football Broken?

The future problems facing Football in Waterford are spelt out in Timmy O’Keeffe’s report to County Convention this week.

 

The Clashmore man points out that for the fourth year in a row, Waterford have suffered a heavy defeats in the Munster Championship in the under 21 grade, and looking at results achieved by the Minors in the same last few years, its hard to see the gap between Waterford and the rest of the Counties in Munster closing anytime in the near future.

 

In Minor in these same four years Waterford has played nine championship games and has won just one of these games.

 

In his address to delegates at this year’s convention, the County Secretary points out that Kerry do not take part in the Munster under 21 hurling championship and maybe it is time for Waterford to consider our participation in the Under 21 football championship.

 

Is this the solutions to our problems?

 

It would certainty mean that we would not suffered heavy defeats if we did not compete.

 

In his report, Timmy O’Keeffe says that “Clubs are still not willing to provide mentors and players to the Football Development squads and the future of the system must be in serious doubt”.

 

But is it right to put the blame on the clubs as some are doing.

 

For a long time now, when it comes to football in Waterford at underage levels we have problems.

 

In 2003, Waterford won our only championship at this level beating Kerry in the final by two points. In the years previous to this, at this level, we contested the finals of 1993, 1994 and 1995 and even though we were beaten by between ten and thirteen points in each of these finals, reaching the finals would have encouraged those coming behind them to play football. We also reached the final in 2000 where we were beaten by three points by Limerick. What has been done to work on that win? We reached the final again in 2006 where we were beaten by seventeen points by Cork, but apart from that very little has been done.

 

Our problems are ones that have not sprung up over night.

 

Ten years ago, I was involved with the Waterford Minor Football team for two years as the team secretary.

 

While it is not always right to compare and contrast "then and now” even back then there were serious behind the scene problems.

 

Back then, the Munster Minor Championship was played on a league system. All six teams played each other once, and the top four teams in the table after five rounds of games advanced to the semi finals of the championship.

 

To get players into trials were no problem. For two years, trials were staged at the Friary College over three successive Sunday mornings and for the two years, upwards of forty players each week showed an interest in playing for the county at this level.

 

In 2002, the night before Waterford were to travel to Carraigtwohill to play Cork in the opening round of games, a game Waterford got a deserved draw from (after Liam Lawlor broke forward from his wing back position to kick a point in added time that ensured a share of the spoils), the panel did not have a new set of Jerseys for the game.

 

It was also at this time that the panel of players agreed to train at 8-30am one Sunday morning at De La Salle college grounds in Waterford City. Many players were out of their beds early that morning and were at different venues from Cappoquin to Kilmeaden from 7am to be collected by a bus to transport them to Waterford for the session.

 

All went well till two of the then Minor Hurling selectors arrived at venue with two cars and put five of the panel into the cars and transport them to Old Parish for a Minor hurling training session later in the morning.

 

Players are not blind. They see things like this happen, and when they do, they and those they talk to will ask themselves why they would play football for Waterford when things like this happen.

 

It should be pointed out that in the past two or three years, both Dublin and Tipperary have enjoyed success at Minor level in both hurling and football and in the case of both, they had more than their fair share of duel players. If these and other counties can have duel players, why cant Waterford.

 

In case anyone thinks I am having a pop at anyone in saying what I am going to say next, I am not. Those that know me will know if I want a pop at anyone I will name names if i want to. I have done so in the past and will do so going into the future.

 

You have to wonder is our problems to do with those tasked with finding the best people to fill roles with the various football teams in the county.

 

Most will be aware, that I for the best part of a decade and filled different rolls in Bord na nÓg in the county, both a divisional and county levels.

 

In my latter years involved in Bord na nÓg, Waterford were invited to an under 15 football tournament in Wexford. A decision was about to be made to pull Waterford out of the competition when nobody could be found to travel with the team as selectors. Some of the then Bord na nÓg Officers found out what was about to happen and within ten minutes, five phone calls were made and five people were found to travel with the team to Wexford.

 

The question also has to be asked why the duel player especially at underage level in this county is not encouraged. Again the question has to be asked are we putting the right people over the different teams that we have.

 

Its no secret that there is players who want to play both hurling and football for the county, but they are been discouraged to do so, but this is something that will be venomously denied. We have players each year that are good enough to play hurling and football at minor level who are kept in the hurling panel for as long as possible before been dropped very close to when the championship games are played.

 

Many of these players are quickly invited into the football set up, but the selectors are left with some difficult choices to make. Do they play them in the championship, even though they would have played very little football in the weeks leading up to a game or do they stick with those that they had for a number of weeks previous?

 

The answers to Waterford problems with Minor and under 21 football cant be solved by starting to make changes at these levels. The changes have to be made from under 12 and 14 levels and work up.

 

The value of the Tony Forristal Tournament cannot be stated enough to the promotion of hurling in the county. For some winning the Tournament is very important but to others, the important thing is the taking part and introducing players to the Inter County set up.

 

Here in Waterford we also have the Jim Power Tournament. Right now, what value is there in this tournament?

 

With the past decade, the six Munster Counties take part. Cork and Kerry both split their teams geographically, but even playing without their best players on the one team, they are still too strong for the likes of Waterford.

 

Could this competition be restructured?

 

Should permission be got from Croke Park not to have it each year as a Munster Competition, but as an All-Ireland competition? Could it be worked out that the likes of Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois be brought into it instead of the likes of Cork and Kerry?

 

These are counties that we might be at the same level at, or maybe be slightly better than. If Croke Park authorities are serious about promoting football across Ireland and we have no reason to doubt that they are not, they would allow such a competition to take place and maybe even partially fund the cost of running the Tournament each year.

 

Yes, there is those that say you have to play the best to improve, but there is too sides to every coin. Playing the best and getting beaten on a regular basis could also turn people away from the game.

 

Could we see one if not two Waterford teams enter the Munster Second level Senior Football Championship each year.

 

We have seen what has happened since Colaiste na nDéise got involved.

 

When they got involved nearly a decade ago, the panel was made up of players attending schools from Kilmacthomas to Ring to Lismore.

 

In a short few years, the panel was cut to been picked from three colleges, and after Blackwater Community School won the Munster Senior ‘B’ Title, the Colaiste na nDeise selection was cut to two colleges, and now there is those that are suggesting that both Dungarvan CBS and St Augustine’s College should field teams on their own.

 

Could the same now happen in Football?

 

Should a team consisting of players from Dungarvan C.B.S., St Augustine’s College, Scoil Cathal Naofa, Mean Scoil Nicholas and Blackwater Community School be entered into the competition and another team consisting of players from St Declan’s in Kilmacthomas, from Tramore CBS and from the colleges in the City area also entered.

 

In these schools we have some very good football men teaching. If they were to get involved and things were done professionally, it’s fair to say that students will respond and will get involved in the two teams.

 

Could we also make use of proven football team that have worked with the different county teams in recent years be also invited to get involved in some shape, even if it is to give the occasional football coaching session. It’s been done in Cork right now in hurling.

 

There is some in the Rebel County to say that they are a little Peed off with the performances of their hurling teams at underage levels in recent years would be an understatement. There is some in Cork that are not happy that the county have not appeared in a Minor Munster Final since 2008. There is some in Cork that are equally as peed off that no side from the county have won the Dr Harty Cup since 2006.

 

They have been bringing in players like Joe Deane and Diarmuid O’Sullivan amongst others to give occasional training session to the various development squads. Why can’t we do the same, especially in football?

 

Right now, we have a very highly respected senior football manager in Niall Carew. Working with him is Tony Kelly who is equally as highly spoken of. Our previous county senior football manager John Owens has been described as an absolute gentleman by those that he has worked with in the last few years.

 

Money is available for the promotion of football. Why not lets use it to the full, by getting these men and others involved by giving the occasional training session or talks to our various teams.

 

What’s mentioned here are mere suggestions. Not been involved in Bord na nÓg or any other administrative roll within the county any longer, I am not aware what is happening in the back ground to promote football in the county and to try and improve our standards. Maybe what is suggested has been tried and did not work. If it has not been tried, maybe what is mentioned above could be tried sometime in the near future.

 

While some would suggest that the football scene in the county is Broken, I would not go that far. Something that is broken is often unrepairable.  I would however suggest that the way things are done should be changed. The faults in Waterford underage football are repairable right now, but it will take time and energy. If we don’t try and make changes, we will never know if they will work or not.