Our analyst answers readers’ questions about the 2019 All-Ireland final, a potential rule change, how to balance children’s sporting workload, what to do about the scheduling of the All-Ireland final and the future of the provincial championships
On the way up to the All-Ireland final in 2019 I lost my ticket, I had to watch the match in a pub in Summerhill. Thankfully, I didn’t make same mistake for the replay. In the closing minutes of the final, with Jonny Cooper sent off, when Dublin were a point down and had missed three chances to equalise, did you feel we are going to lose this and not do the five-in-a-row?“I suppose we would have trained ourselves for those different scenarios, throughout the years.
What is the one rule change you would introduce to improve the game from an attacker’s point of view?“It’s hard to say, because I think the game is mostly fine as it is. Potentially there is something to be said for making sure you have to keep two forwards inside the 45m line at all times, and two defenders. What that means is if you win early turnovers, there is potential to get quick ball into maybe two of your most dangerous forwards.
How much sport is too much for kids? That's a question considered by Dean Rock. Photograph: Evan Logan/Inpho “But looking at that scenario – 22 matches or training in 28 days – that’s obviously not sustainable, that’s going to result in burnout. Of course you don’t want to prevent your kids from playing either, but there has to be a balance, and maybe when they get to age 15 or 16, start to chose one or two sports only.
Dean, as a former intercounty and current club player, you have a good perspective of the demands around the split season. For many years there was the tradition of the All-Ireland final on the third Sunday in September and the club final on St Patrick’s Day, essentially a six-month gap between both dates.
“One thing that’s worth considering is pushing it all back to the end of August. Space it out that way, rather that squeeze all the finals in July. And if the club championship started in September, I think most people would see that as ideal, and I think the GAA has the leverage to do that. “At the same time we saw last weekend in the Connacht football final, the massive joy that meant to Galway, and even the Munster final, the Kerry-Clare game had a bit of atmosphere, and Clare were definitely competitive as well. Ulster we know is always very competitive.
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