What’s good for the Goose Is good for the Gander:

Idioms are a type of figurative language, which means they are not always meant to be taken literally. Idioms express a particular sentiment, but they do not literally mean what the individual words themselves mean.

An idiom is a saying that is specific to a language. For example, an idiom in English does not translate to an idiom in Spanish.

Common English Idioms include:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, meaning that what looks beautiful to one person may not look beautiful to another.

 Don’t Count your chickens before they hatch, meaning do not count on something before you have get it in your hands.

No crying over spilt milk meaning don’t be upset about something that cannot be changed or don’t be upset about something that is really a small matter.

Curiosity killed the Cat, meaning being too curious or inquisitive can be dangerous.

A penny for your thoughts, meaning what are you thinking about?

Don’t beat around the bush meaning someone is avoiding the topic.

You can’t judge a book by its cover meaning do not assume you know someone by how the or she appears.

I suppose you could say in summary that an Idiom is a figure of speech, a phrase that should not be taken literally used to express a particular sentiment or something that is specific to a particular language, group or region.

Another Idiom and one that I often use is ‘What’s good for the goose is good for the gander’ meaning that what is good for one person or group should be good for another.

It was former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson that once famously said ‘A week is a long time in politics’ meaning that a lot can happen to those in public office in a short space of time.

This is something that could be applied to each and every one of us. How often has life changed for the better or worse in a short space of time, and it need not be a week like what Harold Wilson suggested.

A week can be a long time in politics and what is good for the goose is good for the gander could often apply to sports teams or to individuals that participate in different sports.

Both of the figures of speech referred to in the last paragraph could certainly apply to Waterford this week.

Let me say here that I have not spoken face to face to anybody involved with the Waterford Coaching set up in the last week. I did speak to one player briefly in a shop, but fewer than a dozen words were shared and no mention was made of this weekend’s All-Ireland Championship game was made nor was any mention of any sport. I also am not speaking here for the Waterford Camogie Board. They have made their views known and I am fully in agreement with what they have to say.

In the last number of year’s different counties have had players who have said that they wanted to play both Camogie and Ladies Football for their county. Some players have done this very successfully. In the men’s game Duel players were often to be seen in the past, but in recent years they have become like hens teeth. The G.A.A. at headquarters are in a way to be blamed for their not being many if any duel GAA players in recent years as they have scheduled hurling and football games on the same day and often at the same time.

In Ladies Football and Camogie there has been some players who have opted to play both games and managers of different inter county panels have to be congratulated in making it possible for allowing players willing to make a commitment to both games to do so.

This year Waterford has one duel player in Caoimhe McGrath. The hugely talented Abbeyside woman has proven to be key to Donal O’Rourke’s and Ciaran Curran’s sides and both men and their management teams deserve huge praise for allowing a player that wants to play both codes to do so.

I will admit I don’t know what way they work with training, but it works. When it comes to games all year things also have worked well. While the Camogie and Ladies Football sides have had games the same weekends a number of times this year, it has often happened that when this happens one game is fixed for a Saturday and the other on a Sunday and this has allowed Caoimhe to tog out twice in a white and blue shirt in 24 hours which takes great commitment.

Last weekend the Abbeyside woman had to make a big call. Would she line out at 3-30 in Port Laoise with the Waterford Ladies Footballers against All-Ireland Champions Dublin, a game that Waterford were while always in with a chance of winning, always knew that to win was always going to be a difficult task. Or would she line out at 5pm in Walsh Park against Clare in a must win game in the round robin section of the championship, where if Waterford won they would reach the knockout stages of the competition for the second year in a row. For this Donal O’Rourke would have to put out his best XV and that would have included Caoimhe McGrath. Realistically for the footballers a win over Monaghan this weekend was more likely that last weekend against Dublin so it was no surprise taking into consideration the importance of beating Clare that she opted to play Camogie.

When the fixtures were released earlier this year Waterford would have known that they were to be out again on Saturday of this weekend meaning that Caoimhe McGrath would once again have to make a choice as to what game she would have played, something I am sure she would have done having spoken to both of her managers and maybe spoken about it with some close friends. Certainly she would have thought long and hard about which game she would play.

Players on both teams would have worked around work commitments so that they were off this Saturday and available to whichever side they were involved with.

Every Tuesday I receive an email from the Camogie association letting me know what All-Ireland Fixtures are down for decision over the coming days, with venues, times and who is to referee the game attached to each fixture. The email is sent out again on a Wednesday with any changes that need to be made to the original list made.

When I received the email on Tuesday I noticed that Waterford’s game was moved to Sunday and a venue was to be arranged. At the time hand’s up, I did not think anything about it. Then I went on Facebook and noticed on well known Photographer Noel Browne’s page a posting that he had put up informing those on his friends list that the game was moved to accommodate duel players involved with Cork.

I always have great time for Cork sides and always will, I believe that they have some great fans and have sat amongst them many times down the years at games where there would be ‘great craic’ regardless of who was playing and the outcome of the game. Not everyone will agree with me, but I for one will always like the real Cork fans. There might be some obnoxious rebel fans, but the same can be said of any side, including of Waterford.

 I admire anyone that gets involved in administration at any level. Having done so myself in the past at juvenile level, I know how much of a difficult task it can be. I don’t know who in the Cork camp it was that went to the Camogie Association to ask for a rescheduling of the game against Waterford this weekend as they had two players who were involved with the Cork Senior Ladies Football Team who were to play tomorrow as well. To be honest if I was over a team and had even one player who was playing two codes I would be trying to get one of the games rescheduled, but in doing so I would be doing it expecting to hear the news I did not want to hear and the game I would be trying to reschedule would go ahead as planned.

I would however have lost some respect for those involved with the Camogie Association in Croke Park for agreeing to a rescheduling of the game.

I would love to think that those involved in the Camogie Association in Croke Park take an interest in Ladies Football and vice versa. I would love to think that those involved in scheduling games would sit down over a cup of tea or coffee on a regular basis and ensure that there is some joined up thinking when it comes to fixtures.

I don’t know did the Waterford Ladies Football County Board try and get last week’s game with Dublin rescheduled knowing the importance the Camogie game was and that Caoimhe McGrath would or could be required to play both games as she has done all year.

Both the Ladies Football Association and the Camogie Association should have known that there were players in a number of counties that play both codes and if players were forced to make a call as to what code they would play last weekend when there were fixture clashes, the same should apply this weekend when there were fixture clashes.

As I said I don’t blame the Cork County Board’s trying to get one of their games rescheduled this coming weekend. I know I would have done the same if I was involved in a management team.

For the Cork Camogie team this weekend there is little to play for. Regardless of how the game finishes they are involved in the knockout stages of the championship. If Cork were to avoid defeat in Walsh Park they will top the group and go straight to the All-Ireland Semi Final’s as group winners, and even if they were to lose and Tipperary were to win their game this weekend, Cork are likely to go through to the All-Ireland semi finals as group winners by virtue of the having the best score difference as in such a case Cork, Waterford and Tipperary would all finish level on points.

Cork Lady Footballers this weekend are up against a Cavan side they should not just be beating, but beating well with the players that the Cork side have in their panel, and even if there was a shock in the game against Cavan they would have a second chance of reaching the All-Ireland quarter finals when they play Armagh next weekend, a game which on paper should be tougher than that against Cavan, but the Orchard County side lost to Cavan last weekend.

If Waterford’s Caoimhe McGrath had to pick which game she wanted to play this weekend, Cork’s Hannah Looney and Libby Coppinger should have to make the same call this weekend. After all what’s good for the goose should be good for the gander.

The Camogie Association in my view has left themselves down this weekend. They should have kept the fixture list as what was planned at the start of the year. failure to do so means that there is players possibly on both the Cork and Waterford sides out of pocket this weekend, players who may be due to work on Sunday now having to get it off, or players like Waterford’s Trish Jackman who had plans to fly back to the UK on Sunday where she now lives and works.

The Camogie Association this evening said that they are “continuing to liaise” with Waterford, after a statement was released in relation to notice of a major fixture this weekend. The question has to be asked without knowing what is happening in the back ground that the public don’t know about is what can be done at this stage. Will an announcement be made saying that the game goes ahead as planned on Saturday afternoon. Will they reimburse players out of pocket by switching the game to Sunday and leave the game go ahead as announced this weekend? What exactly to the Camogie Association mean when they say ‘liaise’.

 

 

Statement by Waterford County Camogie Board:

"We, the Waterford Senior Camogie panel, are together voicing our frustrations and highlighting the issues we have encountered during the 2019 All Ireland Championship season. We seek to engage with the National Camogie Association to ensure these do not occur again. Rule 33.2 allows for All Ireland Championship match fixtures to be changed with only 5 days' notice.

"The Camogie Association changed the date of our senior All Ireland championship fixture versus Cork due to be played on the 20th July, in accordance with Rule 33.2. The late notice has affected our players. Members of our senior camogie panel work weekends, to finance their college education and fund their sport participation. Late notice impacts upon working hours, causing financial loss. We have a panel member commuting from England to represent her county. For her to play the original fixture date she took holiday leave from work, the late change results in her being unavailable for selection. Players shape their family lives around dedicating time to their sport. Issues on communication in relation to this were confounded by players becoming aware of the fixture change through social media.

"Unfortunately, five days’ notice is within the rules but is not the same for players to give notice to employers, airlines and life logistics. Allowing the change of date of an All Ireland Senior Camogie championship match with 5 days’ notice disrespects the effort of players training since October of last year and who organise their lives based on championship fixture dates set in January. 

"We stand with our ladies’ football colleagues and agree no player should be in a situation where they have to choose between representing their county at Camogie or ladies football, which has occurred for players around the country this year, including our own panel member. Our grievance is with the five days’ notice rule for a fixture change and not addressing the clash of fixtures earlier in the year.

"So far this year, we experienced lack of adequate medical support at a championship match resulting in game abandonment and come this Sunday we will have fielded for championship matches 6 weeks in a row. Change needs to happen within the Camogie Association to ensure players are recognized (sic) as athletes.

"We, as a panel, have written to the National Camogie Association to meet with us to ensure these situations do not arise again and action is taken. We call on engagement between the National Camogie Association and the WGPA and on our fellow players to act with us for changes within our sport to allow our game and players flourish.

"We fully support the 20/20 vision, of "If she can’t see it, she can’t be it", we want to inspire young girls to participate in sport and also to speak up, united, to fight to be treated respectfully as athlete."