Fahy calls for removal of colleges

The contentious issue of third level colleges competing in provincial pre-season tournaments has intensified following Galway's selection crisis ahead of this Saturday's Connacht hurling league.

Although Galway field a mostly developmental team for the competition, they've been left with just three eligible players from their current senior panel partly due to the preference given to third-level teams.

As a result, Galway hurling secretary John Fahy has called for the removal of third-level colleges from such competitions, with a similar view expressed by several other county officials in recent weeks.

"We literally have three players eligible for Saturday's game against Sligo," explained Fahy. "What happens is that any player that lined out for Galway in last summer's championships is already ineligible for the Connacht League, and that rules out 23 players from the current senior panel of 35.

"But, on top of that, we have another nine players involved with the college teams, and they're ruled out as well. And five different teams, in fact - UCC, LIT, UL, UCG and GMIT.

"So we're forced to bring in a large chunk of players from the under-21 set-up, and other underage teams. Of course, it's nice to give these young players a go, but at the same time if we are serious about this issue of player burnout then I think we should start by taking the third level colleges out of these pre-season tournaments.

"I actually made that recommendation before as part of the Hurling Development Committee, as a way of addressing player burnout. What we have now is the call to merge the under-21 and minor grade, which, in fact, has nothing like the activity and participation of the colleges.

"It was alright when you just had the Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups, but you now have the higher education leagues, and these pre-season competitions thrown in as well."

Hurling manager Ger Loughnane has been training with a 35-man panel since November, but given Galway's current selection restrictions won't get much value from the Connacht League.

Last week Mayo football manager John O'Mahony expressed similar dissatisfaction after he was left without 15 of his panel for the opening game in the Connacht football league.

The third-level colleges have also been proving increasingly successful in these competitions, with Dublin City University, for example, progressing to this Sunday's semi-final of the O'Byrne Cup - even though their coach, Niall Moyna, admits the participation of third-level colleges is debatable.

"Fundamentally I'd say that they shouldn't be in it, but the real value is in the control it gives teams over their players," he said.

Loughnane, in the meantime, has been back training with his panel since November even without the benefit of any pre-season competition.