The severely abridged intercounty calendar - which does not fully commence until the final weekend of October - has meant that many GAA competitions have to be shelved in 2020 due to time restrictions. Remember the B Championship in gaelic football? There'll be no club All-Ireland champion this year in hurling or football either.
The GAA also took the decision to scrap the junior All-Ireland football championship, which is a much-loved competition by those who've competed for it, especially in the UK.
One person who's not a huge fan of the Junior All-Ireland is Sunday Game pundit Pat Spillane, who yesterday expressed his 'delight' that the competition had been abandoned. 'Hopefully it will remain consigned to the dustbin of history,' he wrote
The comments were not well received by Scotland GAA, who tweeted their own dismay about the statement.
Very disappointed in this piece @theirishworld @PatSpillane10. @Kerry_Official has benefited from this comp. and such a disrespect to your own- all the time and effort put in. Our connection to IC football in Ireland "consigned to the dustbin" @officialgaa pic.twitter.com/Ve7qwftEdY
— Scotland GAA (@ScotlandGAA) June 28, 2020
Spillane's disdain for the competition is interesting. His own nephew Adrian - now a regular in the Kerry senior team - represented Kerry in the 2016 Junior Championship. Kerry has won the competition every year since 2015.
Johnny Cooper also enjoyed his time playing with the Dublin juniors back in 2008, and the competition clearly can help players on their intercounty journey.
@Gloucestershir3 played @DubGAAOfficial juniors in 2008 before the Seniors began to dominate. That team had Cooper, Bastick and O'Gara to name but a few and @jcoops remembered it too..... That Junior comp is a springboard for many and the comment from Spillane is outrageous. pic.twitter.com/YEMCuNeEjW
— TimO (@TimO_Loughlin) June 29, 2020
Interestingly, Spillane was effusive in his defence of club players on the Sunday Game last night so arguments so that he is merely an elitist in arguing against the junior championship don't hold much water.
"An intercounty train out of control.." Pat Spillane at his best... Every club manager in Ireland watchin no doubt agreeing with him!! #GAA pic.twitter.com/SH6KyHcPzq
— Stephen Gleeson (@StephenGleeson_) June 28, 2020
