Former Mayo manager and member of the Football Rules Committee that is tasked with implementing new rules in Gaelic football, has hit out at the decision to get rid of pre-season competitions.
Normally competitions such as the McKenna Cup and O'Byrne Cup would be played in January time, but the decision has been made to scrap these tournaments with the argument being that players have too many games, particularly in the condensed season.
However, with so many new rule changes coming into the game for the 2025 season, it means that teams have no real time to experiment and get used to the proposals before the national league starts.
Speaking at yesterday’s launch in Croke Park, Horan was asked if he would be cursing the FRC if he were an inter-county manager right now.
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I’d be cursing who got rid of the pre-season competitions this year, that’s who I’d be cursing this year.
“So, he’s (pointing at Cork manager John Cleary) going to get a couple of sessions, I’d say, of all his team playing before the national league.
“So, that’s the awful tough thing for an inter-county manager. If I was an inter-county manager, I’d definitely be giving out to someone about something.
"It’s too short. I think the FBD [League] would be perfect for it this year, of all years. I think it would be great if there was something – whether you could play challenges earlier in December.
“I don’t know if you get the provincial competitions [back] in at this stage, but if there was something to allow an inter-county manager to get ready, particularly for this year, because you’re going to be relegated in the league.
“There’s going to be two teams relegated. When you haven’t had a long run-in, for different teams it’s different, with the size of panels and all that kind of stuff. It’s a tough one. It’ll be tough for an inter-county manager this year, for sure.”
Viewers will get to see the new rules in action next week when a make-shift Railway Cup competition is played and the proposals are implemented.
Both games will be televised and we can see for ourselves what will work and what might need to be scrapped before the 2025 season begins.
