DAVID Whyte is the divisional board chairman who is also the manager of his division’s senior hurling team. So, the Carbery GAA chairman who coaches Carbery’s hurlers is the right man to ask about what the future for divisional teams looks like.
Look at his team that is preparing for a must-win county divisions/colleges clash with Muskerry on Tuesday, 24th, in Ovens (7.30pm). In the opening round Carbery lost to Avondhu, 3-28 to 0-20, and had to field without their Ballinascarthy hurlers as they had an important county league game the same week. Such is the life of a divisional team.
There is an argument that the divisional section of the hurling and football championships has been forgotten, especially with the football side having only four teams competing, but St Mary’s clubman Whyte is an avid supporter of divisional teams and what they stand for.
‘I’m a firm believer in divisional football and hurling,’ Whyte states.
‘Carbery won a hurling county championship in 1994. We’ve done well in the football section in recent years; fellas are preparing well under Colm Aherne (the football manager). It gives lads a big opportunity to play senior championship with your division. There are fellas from intermediate and junior clubs and it gives them a shop window to prove themselves.
‘The standard is so high. In junior hurling you might have five seconds on the ball whereas in the divisional competitions, you have two or three seconds. You have to make faster decisions. By playing these games, you’ll improve.’
Could there be scope for a different time window to play these championships, perhaps? In recent weeks, we’ve seen Beara and Avondhu drop out of the football section due low numbers. Interest might increase with a different time slot?
‘With the split-season now and everything being played together, I’m not so sure the GAA have gone down the right route with playing the divisional competitions at the same time as the inter-county season. Look, the club is important and there were important games for clubs that we didn’t get players from last week,’ Whyte notes.
‘When you are in a division the size of Carbery, you will have that issue. With those games over and gone now, we’ll hope to have everyone available to us next Tuesday night.’
The loss to Avondhu was a difficult one to take for Carbery but Whyte feels the final score was harsh on his team. The game against Muskerry, who beat Duhallow 1-23 to 2-19, presents an opportunity to showcase West Cork hurling.
‘The lads were very disappointed. I don’t think the scoreboard reflected the game, and Avondhu said that to us afterwards when they came into the dressing room. They got a couple of goals in the last five minutes and it didn’t reflect the game,’ Whyte says.
‘With divisional teams, it’s hard to get lads together because there is such a full campaign for lads at the moment. They are very taken up with their clubs. We are missing a couple of lads with holidays and that type of thing. You get that this time of the year. We will have a few lads back who were doing the Leaving Cert. We’d be confident going into it.
‘We have battled with Muskerry over the years in hurling and football. There are strong clubs up there. Éire Óg and Cloughduv have strong hurling traditions. We’ll be up against it, there is no doubt about it but we’ll be up for the challenge.’
With Whyte also Carbery Chairman in a special year for the division, he certainly has his hands full. But he wouldn’t have it any other way.
‘It’s a busy year, especially with the centenary celebrations,’ he explains.
‘It’s important to put out Carbery teams as well and even more important in the year of the centenary of Carbery GAA. It was very important to do that. I was vice-chairman in the last number of years and this is my third year with Carbery hurling. I like being involved on the field and I like the administration off the field so that’s no problem,’ he added, as Whyte does his bit to keep Carbery moving forward, on and off the pitch
The upcoming Co-Op Superstores Divisions/Colleges Hurling Championship ties on Tuesday, June 24th, are: 7.30pm, Avondhu v Duhallow in Ballyhooly; 7.30pm, Muskerry v Carbery in Ovens.
