By Tomas Mulcahy It has to be said that the national hurling league of 2005 has not set the world on fire and the sooner this is ended and we move on to more competitive action, the better for everyone. I am not blaming players or management here but the whole system that evolves around this campaign and the lead into championship has taken the gloss off this competition completely. The introduction of new rules and the new format of the championship has had a huge negative impact on all of this. Players receiving their marching orders for minor offences has lead to more games becoming like challenge matches rather than competitive league matches and because of the new structure for the championship, it seems teams are now a lot more focussed on performing in May, June and July and keeping themselves finely tuned for the quarter-finals of the All-Ireland at the end of July. This is the big problem for hurling in that all the top teams in the provincial championships will all be involved again come quarter-final stage as I do not expect too many surprises. Interestingly though the two teams which played in last year's All-Ireland final have taken a different view here. Kilkenny felt that by not competing in last year's league final, they lacked the match sharpness needed for championship and they came unstuck against Wexford. Cork on the other hand have made it quite clear that they have no interest in winning the national league this year and have used it to try out new players. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top here in the championship as Cork's opponents Waterford have been idle for the last few Sunday's also. If we can have a similar game to the Munster final last year, then the national league will be long forgotten by both these teams. Clare have been by far the most consistent team in the league right from the start and the message is now loud and clear - they will be no pushover this year come championship time. The placing of the team has been the key issue here - putting players back in their rightful positions - defenders as defenders and forwards as forwards. Last year might well have been the swansong for many of these players, taking into consideration the defeats inflicted upon them during the summer season. But there seems to be life in the old dog yet and they could yet cause a surprise or two over the next few weeks and may be the dark horses of the summer. Congress, Rule 42 and other issues Finally all the hype and speculation is over regarding the opening of Croke Park and thanks be to god for that. Whether you were a 'Yes' or a 'No' campaigner, a decision has finally been made which should now steer the focus of attention to other areas of the association which need to be addressed, such as the national hurling league and the promotion of hurling over the next few years. These were issues which have been sidelined for a long time and must now be tackled seriously. My interest in this was purely for the benefit of hurling in the future and if the association can generate more funds by opening Croke Park to help in this area, then I am all for it - but let me add we should open only Croke Park. Being a Corkman over the last few weeks was not easy because of what happened at county board level prior to Congress. The majority of clubs would have held EGM's to discuss this issue at length and every member was given the opportunity to have his say with the final outcome decided by vote, which gave a mandate to each county board delegate to represent its club with a 'yes' or 'no' decision. To find out that no vote was taken at county board level has upset club members throughout Cork because the general opinion is that the majority of clubs had backed a 'yes' vote. Whether the outcome was yes or no on the night, at least democracy should have won out and people would have accepted just as easily if the vote was no. As an association, what are we afraid of if these games are played when it is relatively quiet on the GAA front during the winter months and it does not upset the fixture list of our association when it matters most? To market and advertise our national games in a professional and consistent manner takes a lot of resources. Remember schools are crying out for proper structures and man power to help promote our games and if the income from renting Croke Park can be ploughed back into the grassroots, we should have no fear for the future of hurling and football. The stars of tomorrow are going to come from those schools - it is where it started for us all. Rules restricting the playing activity of juveniles This ruling was certainly overshadowed by other events at Congress and to me did not get the proper hearing or forum it deserved and only now has it started to generate debate and arguments nationwide. The ruling states as it is currently worded would prevent players under 17 years of age on January 1 in the championship year from playing in adult competition which includes U21, junior, intermediate and senior. Some clubs are saying it will decimate small rural clubs who will not be able to field teams, particularly at U21 level. The Cloyne club in Cork would be one example where a player of real quality would be denied senior championship action. Paudie O'Sullivan, who played in the senior county final last year as a 16-year-old, would be lost to this club under this ruling and would be forced to be a spectator this year. I feel common sense must prevail here and I would like the matter discussed first at club level where the effect will be felt most severely and get the opinions of the people that matter most. There is also a strong argument for retaining this ruling and there are many reasons why it was introduced. Between the ages of 16 to 21 we are seeing the biggest fall off of players in our association and that must be a serious concern. Is it because of burnout with too many games? Mentors are trying to keep every team happy and a lack of proper coaching or games structures are also adding to the problem. We all realise the effect of the Celtic Tiger has had on our economy and maybe it is the social side of things which is doing the greatest damage. Whatever it is, I feel there is a greater need to explore this whole area more thoroughly and not rush into passing motions at Congress without a full and thorough examination of all avenues open to us. If a player has a special talent let us give him every opportunity to progress and display those strengths before he is whipped away by other competitor sports. By the way, Paudie is the brother of Diarmuid O'Sullivan and try telling him that his brother can no longer play with him in the county championships! I would certainly not like to be the one doing that. Tweet

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