The fixture calendar within the GAA has been a point of contention for a number of years now, with contrasting views as to how the Association should handle the scheduling of the inter-county season.
While some believe that more must be done to ensure that the club player is looked after, others feel that the inter-county game must be given priority status even if that affects things at a lower level.
This year, the inter-county season will be wrapped by the end of July, meaning the club game will have plenty of room to operate at a time when weather conditions and pitches are at their best throughout the country.
However, some feel the GAA could be missing a trick by ending season for the highest level of the sport so early in the year.
Speaking on RTÉ ahead of this afternoon's championship fixtures, Donal Óg Cusack admitted that he was worried that the GAA were essentially handing the summer over to other sports by ending the inter-county season in July.
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Here the panel discuss the short season and missing out on crucial months in the sporting calendar for the inter-county game. pic.twitter.com/P3qrbG1MmA— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) April 17, 2022
I think it does put up that question in terms of the split season. I like the idea of plenty of games, players like plenty of games.
I think the championship, whoever wins their first round is going to be under major pressure going into their second round, so there is going to be major excitement over that period of time.
I don't like that we have given up such a big part of the season. I think we have handed it over for other sports to go in there. September for me was all about hurling, all about the All-Ireland final. We all remember the cup going into the schools and so on and what that did for the game.
There is a lot to be positive about, but I don't like that aspect of it. I would also say that the best time to assess this is at the end of the year when we have a proper amount of data, get everyone into a room and decide what is best overall for the overall Association.
The last thing I would say is that maybe the inter-county game had gone too far, but I think like most things it has now swung too far back against the inter-county game. A bit of balance will come into it hopefully.
This is an opinion shared by many, although there is certainly a balance to be struck in terms of being fair to both inter-county and club players.
It will be interesting to see how the current calendar is received by the end of the year.
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