In recent years there has been a debate around whether colleges and universities should still play in the pre-season tournaments in the GAA such as the Walsh Cup, O’Byrne Cup, FBD Connacht League and the Dr McKenna Cup. There are reasons on both sides but  I personally feel it’s a waste of time entering in the competition.

Why some may ask? Firstly, because there are too many one sided games in this competition. If you look at this year alone for example in the O’Byrne Cup where Kildare defeated IT Carlow 4-24 to 0-01. Who is that any good to? Yes, the players got a game under their belt in January but a 35 point beating is no good to anyone. Let’s take another result, the Walsh Cup game between Wexford and UCD. Wexford defeated UCD by a massive 35 points (5-31 to 1-08). Do people think UCD benefited from that game? I doubt it. Do people think Wexford benefited from that game? Again, I doubt it.

Yes, there has been some tight games in the competition but more hammerings than close encounters. Why could the GAA not get rid of these tournaments and start the Allianz Leagues in January? This would suit everyone. This would stop player burnout, while it would also stop the ongoing issues with club fixtures. Play the league’s January through to March, then play club games between March-May with breaks in between of course. The All-Ireland Championship in both codes would then begin in May/June and be played right through till August. The club fixtures could then be finished in the middle of August right through to September. This would be just a suggestion of mine of course, many will agree and many will disagree.

The argument is valid that I firmly believe the colleges should just exit the pre-season tournaments. It would be better for them in terms of team confidence. Imagine going into your next game after getting beat by 30+ points or going to training a few days later, would be hard to do so. This is why something different should be done or some other plan be put in place because the pre-season tournaments aren’t really working for the college teams in my opinion. What do people think? We would love to hear from you at Sportstalk.ie.

Anthony Redmond