Christy O'Connor: Cork GAA programme is so crammed, divisions are being really squeezed

Shortly before the end of the first half of the recent St Finbarrs-Imokilly senior hurling quarter-final, Ciarán Joyce departed the pitch clutching his hamstring, his body rebelling against the toll of a second crucial game within 24 hours.

Having been involved in a Premier Intermediate relegation play-off the previous day with Castlemartyr, Joyce was just one of five Imokilly starters who lined out twice that weekend. The Barrs were outstanding but so many tired and wearisome Imokilly bodies saw the divisional powerhouse finally run out of road.

Beara did win four football championships in nine years between 1932-'40, but Imokilly have been a machine that has ripped up the script for how well a divisional side can do in the hurling championship, having won four titles in the last eight years of an ultra-competitive championship.

It's unknown if a divisional side will ever be able to exert that level of dominance on the Cork championship again, especially when it’s becoming so hard for the divisional sides to be as competitive as they can be when their players have to carry such a heavy load during championship weekends.

Imokilly had five players lining out on successive days, or playing two games in three days, but Duhallow had eight players in a similar situation over the weekend. And that toll eventually told in Sunday’s quarter-final against Ballincollig when Duhallow led by two points in the 50th minute but failed to score again.

It was easy to see why when none of the Duhallow players double-jobbing over the weekend - those from Ballydesmond, Cullen, Dromtarriffe, Kiskeam and Millstreet – had a 24-hour recovery period ahead of Sunday’s game.

Duhallow would have been even more stretched if Boherbue and Rockchapel had got better results in the last match of their respective competitions against Kilmurry and Glanmire to secure qualification. That would have meant even more Duhallow players having to play on successive days at the weekend – seven players from Boherbue and Rockchapel featured against Ballincollig.

It's unlikely that Duhallow – or any other divisional side for that matter – has ever had as many players lining out on successive days in the past. 

Duhallow’s capacity to be as strong as they could be has been seriously reduced since they lost the Kanturk, Knocknagree and Newmarket players, but the other eight clubs at their disposal have showed remarkable commitment to the Duhallow cause.

It's even more admirable considering the alarming decline of some of the other divisional teams in recent seasons, and the gradual dissolution of the divisional teams’ status in the senior championship.

It's only 28 years since Beara were county football champions but the divisional team withdrew from the county senior championship this year. So did Avondhu, another former Cork county senior championship-winning division.

UNVIABLE

Much of the divisional sides’ struggles are down to a combination of factors; the numbers game, a lack of commitment and reduced ambition. The spate of withdrawals this year has raised questions over the viability of the Colleges/Divisions section of the county championship and where in the calendar it should be placed to ensure maximum participation.

The crammed calendar though, makes this issue even more difficult to solve. 

It’s become so congested that it’s a legitimate question to ask if the county board even want divisional sides in the championship anymore?

The new format certainly makes it less enticing for divisional sides to do what they were historically always able to do in the past – to enter a team in the senior championship and take their chances against the other clubs.

The revised structure with the separate Colleges/Divisions section means that some of the divisions see no point in entering a team anymore when it’s so unlikely that they will even be competitive in the qualifying rounds. It’s even harder again to put a divisional team together when some clubs are bound to be reluctant to encourage their players to line out for a divisional team in those circumstances.

The county board gives every division a chance to enter a team in the championship. The clubs also accept what they have signed up for, and that there otherwise can’t be a divisional team in the championship unless they are prepared to play under these circumstances.

Cork is unlike any other county when it comes to fixing the huge volume of matches they have to get through, but there still has to be a better way around this logjam that the divisional sides constantly have to negotiate.

RUSH

Some of this may only mean small tweaks, and greater understanding. Ballydesmond and Millstreet – who met in a PJFC relegation playoff in Boherbue on Saturday at 4pm – had three players start for Duhallow on Sunday.

What was the rush to play a relegation play-off (one of the most important matches for Ballydesmond and Millstreet in years) the day before such an important game for Duhallow? It was the last game of the season for those clubs but six of their players had to tog out for Duhallow less than a day later.

Organising that fixture certainly showed little respect to Donnacha O’Connor, the 44-year-old All-Ireland winner with Cork, who has given his life to Ballydesmond, Duhallow and his county. 

After scoring 0-8 for Ballydesmond on Saturday, O’Connor incredibly lined out for his division for the 90th time on Sunday.

When the sides were level late on, O’Connor had a chance to win the game for Duhallow, but his effort tailed just wide. Yet what juice was left in O’Connor’s legs after playing over 120 minutes in less than 24 hours?

The divisional sides know what they sign up for but sometimes they just need to be cut a little more slack than they’re being given.