‘A lot of players coming out of U17 are ready to play at a higher level’

We canvassed local clubs for their thoughts on the decision to restore minor to U18 in Cork

BY GER McCARTHY

THE ratification of a new championship and league regulation that restores minor from U17 to U18 in Cork will have a big effect on West Cork clubs.

This move also includes the ruling that players in their final year of minor will not be allowed to play in adult competitions from premier senior down to and including premier junior.

At the November county board meeting, and despite pleas from a number of West Cork clubs, a ruling was passed for 2024 that states players reaching the age of 18 will not be allowed to play at a grade higher than junior A until the following year.

The proposed motion stated: ‘A player shall have celebrated his 18th birthday before January 1st of the championship year in order to participate in premier senior, senior A, premier intermediate, intermediate A or premier junior championships or in divisions 1 to 7 in the county leagues.’

A vote on the motion was passed 139 in favour, 65 against and one spoiled.

Here’s what the new ruling means for a selection of West Cork and Beara GAA clubs.

LIAM EVANS (ST JAMES) – ‘We are disappointed with the ruling. The way we are set up, St James has a small panel and the lads are playing both junior hurling and premier junior county football. As an example, we contested this year’s West Cork junior A hurling championship final a couple of weeks ago and only five of that team was under 36 years of age.

‘St James has not been able to field a minor or U21 team in the club over the last six years so we badly need the young fellas that are coming through. Now we have to tell them they can’t play premier junior football for us next year. It is very hard to explain to them that they can play junior A hurling but not premier junior football.

‘There is nothing we can do at this stage after the county board motion. We spoke against it but it was voted through. I believe there was room for compromise and some very good suggestions put forward too but they got no hearing. It is heart-breaking when you have guys good enough to play premier junior football in our club but being denied the opportunity next year.

‘I can see where the county board is coming from. There is some merit to their argument but there was no room for compromise on their ruling which was disappointing.’

St James' Liam Evans.

SEAN O’NEILL (CASTLEHAVEN) – ‘This ruling deprives a young player aged 18, who is good enough right now, from representing his club at intermediate or senior club level. Those players will be the bones of 19 and a half before they can play. It means those players will miss out on top-quality football for a year and a half.

‘Castlehaven had a club meeting before the county board decision. Our committee was hoping the ruling could be slightly amended so that if there was a clash between minor and adult fixtures, that the minors would have first call on the player.

‘I can think of a lot of fellas over the years who were 18 but good enough to play senior and it helped develop them even further. Having 18-year-olds develop through the junior ranks isn’t all bad either. It is the fact they will miss out on competing at a higher level even though they are capable of playing in it. I do think that the minor grade had to go back to 18 as, over the last few years, the U21 championships were proving difficult to run off around the county.

‘Fair play to West Cork who continued to run their U21 championships but it is gone into winter now. Pitch availability is going to be a big problem. Having the U21 grade reintroduced across the whole county would ease the burden and give 18 and 19-year-old players competitive football up to the age of 21.’

FLOR O’DRISCOLL (ILEN ROVERS) – ‘As a policy or ruling, there is merit on both sides of the argument but Ilen Rovers voted against it. Our main reason is a lot of players coming out of U17 are ready to play at a higher level. For those players to develop, you are now putting the brakes on and not giving them the opportunity to challenge themselves.

‘All good players want to be challenged and push on to the next level. We think this ruling is counter-productive to that but agree with going back to the U18 minor structure.

‘We still think something could have been facilitated for 18-year-olds, who are good enough, to play at a higher level though. I am not sure if young players can still train with their adult teams? That is fine up to a point but where is the motivation, the challenge for them without competitive games? Players need games to test themselves at that level.

‘I think this ruling will affect every club and, in particular, rural ones. This all boils down to how we best help young fellas reach their potential. I just think that, on this particular ruling, we have gotten it wrong.’

DECLAN CULLINANE (ARGIDEEN RANGERS) – ‘The thing with our club is that, as far as the new ruling goes, we play in the Division 7 county league so now our 18-year-olds can’t play in that but can in the West Cork junior championship.

‘Initially, we understood and were all for the decoupling even though it meant a number of our younger players wouldn’t be able to come through this year. We felt that those players, being another year older and stronger, would be better suited coming into it the following year. Taking a longer-term view, maybe that would be better for those players' futures.

‘We do feel that the new ruling, not allowing U18 players to play in the county league, is a bit unfair though. It means young fellas will eventually go straight into adult championship matches without ever having played a single (county) league game.

‘What swung the result of the motion on the night, I think, was the junior clubs who voted for it. Being allowed to field your U18s at junior but not from premier junior county and upwards. The way Argideen Rangers looked at it is that we will just have to take a bit of pain for one extra year. Hopefully, the lads coming through will be a bit more developed once they are eligible to play.’

DECLAN O’SHEA (CASTLETOWNBERE) – The motion was brought to the floor but there wasn’t going to be any amendments allowed. I don’t think anyone had a problem with regrading minor back up to U18. No one had a problem with that. The problem was with full decoupling and what that means for clubs needing to field U18s.

‘Okay, Castletownbere are struggling like a lot of clubs in West Cork. We have one premier intermediate football team. We barely have a junior B team as our second team. Two years ago we couldn’t even field at junior B but a good few young lads have come through since then.

‘A few of our premier intermediates are getting older, a couple of them are in their late 30s. We do have a few lads who will be 18 next year and have plenty of potential. Now, they can’t play for our intermediates, not even a league game, something that would really help bring them on. Going back to my day, we won countys with players who were 16 and 17. Bringing in and changing all this legislation over the last couple of years, it just lacks consistency, and that’s what our club is saying.’