With the traditional pre season football tournaments in full swing and as county hurling sides do the well worn challenge route circuit gaa fans across the country are gearing up for the new season of competitive action.
Yes,the Mc Grath Cup,the O Byrne cup and the Waterford crystal et al are suposed to be "competitive" but in truth no manager worth his salt(or illegal payment if the weekend newspapers are to be believed) takes seriously the action played in January.
The games are of course useful in seeing how players have wintered,what level their fiitness is at and if any younger players might force their way through.
But all in all the games are very litle to write home about,especilaly when the white heat of championship arrives in July,August and september.
The Clare senior hurlers have played a number of challenge games so far with the Davy Fitzgerald style coming through-at least in terms of defense. Clare are playing a short running game which will be familar to any Waterford hurling fans over the last three years.
Fitzgerald’s biggest challenge will not be in terms of the style or the hurlers but their physical size. Some would say that it has never hampered Tommy Walsh but he is the exception rather than the rule and the strength he has built up by being involved with Kilkenny since he was a minor cannot be discounted.
On the other hand the Clare senior footballers must be wondering what they have to do to get out of Division four with little to inspire in the Mc Grath cup campign.
Certainley new players coming on board is welcome but with some of the county’s best club players still not involved at senior level wth the Banner it is hard to see how the Clare backroom team will make any more impression than in the previous two years.
Michael Mc Dermott belives his side lacked at least 8 players in the Cork loss that normally would start-but surely Cork were also missing as many.
January football or hurling may not set the world alight bit it can create a spark in certain sides that can ignite their season later in the year where as for otehr sides having an awful January wil mean nothing come September and Croke Park.
The delicate balance of not being worried about a poor performance because the team will improve and a team that does not have the resources to improve is something that will concern many a gaa fan in the coming weeks and months.
If you wish to comment on the above artcile contact Kevin at sport@clare.fm
