Tough calls to be made, but could a solution be found for the future?

A neighbour of mine, who has since died, once told me that I should sit down and write my life story. I told her that it would be no problem as it would stretch to all of one page. She told me that if I was to do it, I would have plenty to tell if I was to sit down and think about different events I have witnessed and different stories I might have to tell.

Maybe she might have been right. Maybe I might have different stories to tell, but right now, I have no intention of putting such things down on paper. To me this is something that a ‘D’ or ‘E’ grade celebrity who are known for about all of a wet week would do.

If I was however to do something like this, a name for such a venture comes to me straight away – ‘Shooting from the Hip’ but I know this title has already been taken. Another title could also be used ‘Shooting from the Lip’ but again I think someone has used this title.

The reason for either title would be that I like to call things as I see it. I don’t like to ‘pussy foot’ about. If there is something on my mind, I say it. This is something that does not sit well with some and is something that may have cost me positions I might have liked to have got within the G.A.A. However, when writing (or attempting to as some might suggest), I never set out to cause offence to anybody.

One of the biggest cribs I have when it comes to the G.A.A. is that I feel that there are forever too many committees within the association. Today on Facebook, I posted a message saying that the G.A.A. has too many committees and that the right hand does not know that the left hand is doing. Some might think that this is a very hard thing to say, but it’s the truth. Do we need so many committees’? I have heard it said, coming from what you could call very good G.A.A. men and women, that these committees will be going nowhere anytime soon as some on these committees are protecting their own interests.

My reason for posting today on Facebook comes from a message that was posted on a Facebook page earlier this week.

Waterford’s male representatives in this coming weekend’s Munster Puc Fada final in the Glen of Aherlow were wished the best of luck. I was a little disgusted that Waterford’s female representative was not wished luck, and I tongue in cheek asked if Waterford would be represented at the finals.

I was aware that the Camogie County Puc Fada Final was held recently. I had expected that Gaultier and Waterford player Trish Jackman would be the winner of the event, as she has won the All-Ireland Final four years running, but Trish confirmed to me that she did not take part in the county competition. As reigning All-Ireland Champion she automatically qualified for the All-Ireland Final over the August Bank Holiday Weekend.  I later discovered that it was Waterford goalkeeper Aisling O’Brien that won the county final and therefore qualified for the Munster Final.

Earlier this week on twitter, I wished Stevie Brenner and Eoin Kiely the best of luck this weekend, but I deliberately did not mention Aisling O’Brien for a very good reason.

I was aware that Waterford have a very important All-Ireland Intermediate Championship game against Limerick this Saturday evening in Killeedy (at 6-30pm) and was not aware if she was in a position to participate in both the Munster Puc Fada and in the Championship game later that evening.

Aisling has said on Facebook that she is not in a position to participate in the Puc Fada Munster Final, but had she participated I would be wishing her the best of luck as well.

In the same piece on Facebook I pointed out that in addition to the Waterford Camogie team playing on Saturday evening, that the Waterford Intermediate Ladies Football team are playing the Munster Final earlier that same afternoon.

In the piece on Facebook I pointed out that Shona Curran is a duel player and asked if it was right that she should be asked to make up her mind which game she would play. I also suggested that she might be willing to fit in both, but this is hardly fair.

This is something that happened to Waterford again last year. Waterford’s Intermediate Camogie and Ladies Football teams had games in Dublin the one afternoon. Waterford last year had three duel players, Shona Curran and Grainne Kenneally were starters in both teams. Both lined out in the first game to be played that day and then made the trip to another venue for the second game. This is something that players should not be asked to do.

There has to be co-operation between the Camogie and Ladies Football Associations. Thankfully, it happens at a local level, but it’s at a National Level that co-operation has to come. Waterford is not the only county that has duel players. If players want to play both Ladies Football and Camogie they should be let and encouraged to do so.

Previously I have suggested that the Ladies Football Association and the Camogie Association should merge, with the best of minds from both associations brought together to administer the new association.

Realistically, I can’t see this happening, not in the near future anyway. The Camogie Association was founded 110 years ago and they will argue that they have a proud history, which they have. The Ladies Gaelic Football Association was founded in 1974 and will also argue that they too have a proud history, which they have.

If they were to come together, the new association could prove to be a very strong one, provided of course if the right people were put in charge to steer it in the right direction. As I said, I can’t see something like this happen anytime soon, but there is nothing to stop the two associations meeting up every so often and agreeing that weekends where ladies football is played on the inter county scene, no inter county Camogie games would be played and vice versa.

Knowing that Waterford were involved in a Munster Intermediate Ladies Football Final against Tipperary on Saturday afternoon, and that Waterford were involved in a All-Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship game on Saturday evening against Limerick, without saying this, I made a suggestion this week on twitter that the Camogie Game be put back to Sunday.

I was told that this was not possible, but is it.

Sunday is Munster Hurling Final day. Limerick and Cork clash in the senior decider at 4pm. Before it is the Minor final between Limerick and Waterford, the same two counties that are due to compete in the Important Camogie game for both counties.

The Minor game has a 1-45pm thrown in. Is there any reason why the same two counties could not play before this game, say with a Noon start? In the past, on Munster Final day, three games were played. I have programme’s somewhere from the 80’s to show it happened. If it happened between twenty and thirty years ago, why can’t it happen now?

Liberty Insurance is one of the sponsors of this year’s Hurling Championship. Recently the same group agreed to sponsor the Camogie Championships, and at the launch of this year’s Camogie championships recently, a wish was expressed that Hurling and Camogie games at Championship level be played on the same programme of games.

Inter County Hurling and Camogie games were played together already this year. It happened a few times during the National Hurling League that some games had a Camogie game played as a curtain raiser.

Waterford earlier this year travelled to play Limerick in the Camogie League. The game was played at the Gaelic Grounds. Waterford won the game 0-5 to 0-4 and it was followed by a Division 1B Camogie game between Limerick and Wexford.

Tipperary and Kilkenny played their Division One Camogie League game at Semple Stadium. It was followed by the meeting of the same two sides in the National Hurling League. Kilkenny and Cork played their Division One Camogie League game at Nolan Park and it was followed by the meeting of the two sides in the National Hurling League. Offaly and Cork played their Camogie league game at Tullamore. It was followed by the National Football League game between Offaly and Carlow.

If league Camogie league games can be played before National Hurling and Football League games, is there a reason why they cant be played before Championship games?

If there was some joined up thinking, everyone could be a winner this weekend. Players might not be asked to pick Camogie over Ladies Football or whether if they are willing to take in both games. Players would not have to pick between a Championship Camogie game and a Munster Puc Fada Competition. Supports would not have also been asked to make a call as to where they will go.

This Saturday Waterford Supporters will be able to go to Castletownroche for the Ladies Football game. After that game do supporters make the 42 mile journey to Killeedy for an All-Ireland Camogie Championship game at 6-30pm or the 58 mile trip to Thurles for the All-Ireland hurling qualifier between Waterford and Kilkenny at 7pm, and then make the trip to Limerick on Sunday to support the minors in the Munster Final. A sensible suggestion might have been a few weeks back, as soon as Waterford and Limerick qualified for the Munster Minor Hurling Final to move the Camogie game from the Saturday evening to the Sunday morning. This would allow everyone to be where they wanted to be.

It might mean that the Camogie Association might have had to forgo taking up a gate at the Camogie game, but would it be worth it publicity and promotion wise if the game was seen by the ten to fifteen thousand or so that will be in the ground in good time for the start of the Minor Munster Final. Maybe a deal could even be reached whereby the Munster Council would make a donation to the Camogie Association for the part they played on the day.

It might be too late right now to make changes to this weekends schedule of games, but something could be agreed that incidences like what are happening this weekend don’t happen in the future. However, I think we will have a very long wait for such an agreement to be made, as right now we have too many committees each looking after their own patch rather than looking after the bigger picture.