Newtown manager: Amalgamations are vital for rural Cork GAA clubs

Both Erin’s Own and Newtownshandrum managers hit out at the hurdles being placed in front of country clubs after their relegation final replay on Friday.

Newtown emerged victorious to preserve their top-tier status, but both club bosses were united in criticising boardroom decisions which are “killing country clubs”.

First off, Erin’s Own manager, Shay Bowen, took issue with the scheduling of the fixture.

“Playing this match on a Friday night and bringing us out again to the middle of North Cork is a joke,” he said.

“It's no reflection on us losing the match by any stretch of the imagination, but there's no reason this couldn't have been played on Saturday.

“One of the Newtown lads said it a while ago, the County Board, in my eyes, are only looking at city clubs now. Country clubs like us are only an afterthought. Get the match played and that's it.

“They wouldn't play a county final out here on a Friday night. This is as big as any county final. It showed disrespect to both clubs, to be honest about it.

Asking fellas to come out here on a Friday night after work, and the exact same for Newtown. If we'd won this match, I'd be saying the same thing.

“It's only right that this match would have been played on Saturday or Sunday. These are two hurling clubs. Football isn't going to make any difference to us this weekend.”

Newtown manager Gary Morrissey protested the Cork County Board’s recent move to cut back on juvenile amalgamations.

Shandrum – a combination of Newtown and Dromina – won the Premier 2 Minor Hurling title last year, beating city giants St Finbarr’s in a replay.

While sympathising with Erin’s Own, Morrissey said: “The way the GAA is set up, it just makes it so hard for country clubs at the minute.

“There's towns with 30-40,000 people, and they're splitting us up at juvenile level. It just beggars belief.

“We played an U14 Premier 1 county final two weeks ago against Ballincollig. We lost, Ballincollig won fair and square. Ballincollig have three U14 teams. We have one. Lads that have been together since they were six or seven, and now they're being split in half. But Ballincollig are fine with their three teams.

“When we get to minor, U21, we've a great retention rate because we have a very good structure in Shandrum Juvenile Club, and really good people involved.

“I'd like to see what Ballincollig’s retention rate is in 10 years. And it's not their fault. 

They have enough issues of their own. Imagine trying to manage three U14 teams. It must be very hard going.

“But we're the problem then? They're splitting us? It doesn't make any sense to me.

“If they keep going like this, it's going to develop into super clubs. Like Cuala in Dublin can spend two million buying land. It's going to be the same with our big satellite towns. If they're properly ran, it's a numbers game. Yet they come after the country clubs, who are struggling.

MADNESS

“Three years ago, we were told it's totally wrong on a child to make an 11-year-old play U14. Now we're being told he's got to play up. It's utter madness.” 

The reason Morrissey was given for the change was to protect junior teams’ sense of identity.

He countered: “These adult clubs are going to have to fold. Because if you've seven or eight fellas going away playing a blitz against another team with seven or eight fellas, you're driving them to soccer and rugby.

“Ballincollig have got 56 U14s. Sars togged 48 minors this year. But we're the problem? It's a bit puzzling, isn't it?

“We'll see how it works out in a few years, but I think they're killing country clubs.

Maybe something should be done like the Kerry model in football, where Tralee has three or four senior teams and Killarney has three or four senior teams.” 

Morrissey pointed to new graduates to senior hurling, such as Robert Troy, Bill Collins, Eoin O’Mahony, and Turlough O'Neill, as success stories from the higher standard of hurling provided by the Shandrum amalgamation.

The same issue was also referenced after Castlemartyr’s Premier Intermediate relegation play-off victory. Their Kiltha Óg partnership with Dungourney has brought through the likes of Ciarán Joyce and Jack Leahy. Both players also played together on the Imokilly side that won last year’s Cork Premier Senior title.

“Imagine,” said Morrissey, “they're spitting up our juvenile clubs, and our reigning county champions up to last week were an amalgamation of the whole of East Cork. Where's the irony in that?”