I never thought I would see the day when the hurlers and footballers of the Rebel Army would be up in arms over the how managers and selectors of intercounty teams are picked. Nor did I believe that there would be so much coverage in the press and on television on this very issue. It amazes me also when then word 'strike' is mentioned because up to now the only reference to this word was in the place of employment when employees would down tools and go on the picket line. Never in my wildest dreams did I think the head of the Labour Relations Commission would be heading to Leeside to sort out such problems. Am I dreaming? No I am not; this is reality GAA - live and kicking on the banks of the Lee. We are not called the Rebels for nothing and believe me this has got a lot of airing in every household and every club and every pub over the last few weeks. At the time of writing this is very much at stalemate with neither side willing to budge an inch to solve matters. Who is right? Who is wrong? Should the players get back to doing what they do best and that is playing? Should they not have any influence or say how the various committees are selected? That is what I feel most people around the country are saying and thinking but when you are closer to the scene and having played for 12 years or so, it is not that easy at all to let it all pass you by. Regular phone calls with Jimmy Barry Murphy, Dr Con Murphy, Teddy McCarthy and others have taken place to discuss how best this can be sorted and at times to keep well in the background and let them at it themselves. Will there be winners here if it is all sorted? Sadly I must say no and the repercussions could be felt for a long time yet to come. Cork GAA is bigger than any one individual, any one team or even any County Board but because this has been left to simmer over the last few weeks without a solution being found, it has now reached boiling point and friendships, personalities, individual characterisation are now to the forefront and divisions will take some time to heal. Indeed, some doubt if they ever will. There is no doubt that Cork people love their sport and particularly GAA but nobody envisaged that trust, friendships and camaraderie would be sabotaged in this sorry mess. Them against us and win at all costs have been the mantra with calls to bring power back to the board and put the players back in their box. Again the sad aspect of all this is that there are a lot of innocent victims - spare a thought for Teddy Holland and his family - did they need this intrusion in their lives? Rightly or wrongly he does not deserve this but as of now he is insisting he is staying around. He feels he was elected democratically and would love the challenge of managing a Cork senior football team. On the other side the players have put an awful lot of pressure on themselves particularly with full page articles in the Sunday newspapers and one particular interview with Sean Og O'hAilpin has left a sour taste in some peoples mouths. Whether it was meant or not I do not know as he is his own man and entitled to his own opinion. Hopefully this will be sorted by the time this article is printed and players will be back out on the fields doing what they can do best. National Hurling Leagues A lot of progress has been made over the last few years to market and advertise the strength of this competition with Allianz as sponsors the driving force. There was a time when the league was not really taken that seriously by some teams but because of its restructure in terms of its commencement and completion dates, it is now vital for managers to assess individual players in competitive action ahead of the championship season. There is only one way you are going to find out whether a player is up to this level and that is to give him his opportunity not alone just for one game, which has often happened, but for a few matches. Players cannot show their true worth in one match; they can show their potential or lack of it but they need the confidence and trust from the outset that if they do not perform in a match that it is the end of their intercounty career. Kilkenny always start out with the intention of winning the league and always give the opportunity to some younger guys to stake a claim for places come championship time and now other teams will follow suit. It also helps the more senior guys to keep on their toes and not feel they have a divine right to be in the starting fifteen. National league hurling will harden guys up whether you are travelling to Limerick, Antrim, Galway or Wexford at this time of year, you can be guaranteed one thing - you will not get anything soft. Roll on the start of the campaign and let's pray that we have a blood and bandage shirt in the mix. Burnout I must say that Dr Pat O'Neill and his team have done a marvellous job on their recent report and even though they might be disappointed that the minor and U21 grades still remain in place, this has to be a 90% success story. A closed season for playing and training, a reduction of training sessions, more knowledge now than ever before on how injuries are caused and how to avoid them - it all has to be welcomed. But there is a sting in the tail for me and it is about colleges hurling and the Fitzgibbon Cup and likewise the Sigerson Cup in football. Not so long ago these were run over a weekend and had little interference on the GAA calendar - but how things have changed. If there was ever an issue about burnout it has to be at this level. It is now a six month competition with panels training from October with matches right up to March, training in probably the worst conditions and playing in the muck and you know what! Training four and five times a week, boot camps, matches all over the country and because Davy Fitzgerald said he did 80 sessions last year to win, it has to be 90 this year. Remember these are the star players in most clubs and county teams and they then have another six months of action at u21 level or senior level. Where is it all going to stop? Surely this has to be looked at and the timing factor and amount of games need to be addressed. I am not knocking the right for an individual to play with his college team but they are now getting more game time than any club or some intercounty teams will get. This is where burnout will happen; this is where injuries have been picked up. Surely this is not right? Tweet

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