Leinster football is losing its way, says Offaly manager

Pat Flanagan is painting a picture of Offaly football and it's not pretty: Dublin are pulling irretrievably away from them

and the rest of Leinster; rugby is fast eroding their territory; and there’s little or no room anymore for the dual player.

For Flanagan – in his second year as Offaly manager, and who previously managed Sligo and Westmeath – there are ways of redressing this, starting with the championship structure. But unless the GAA act fast – especially in the face of rugby – then counties such as Offaly will drift further back into oblivion.

“I’ll probably be lambasted over this,” says Flanagan, “but if you look at what’s happening with rugby, what it’s generating, we’re in serious trouble, unless we go back to the grass roots and start bringing it up.

“Before, there was a competition between soccer and Gaelic players. But now it’s more so between Gaelic players and rugby players. And there are a number of players that are playing rugby now, and they probably would be part of intercounty football teams if they weren’t playing rugby.

‘Creating excitement’

“That’s only going to develop, because in young peoples’ eyes, you’re creating excitement, they’re seeing the Irish team out playing in foreign grounds. That’s going to build up enthusiasm and unless we match that in our game itself, we’re going to struggle to move forward.

“And unless our hierarchy decide to develop the weaker counties, so that we can compete against the likes of Dublin, then supporters won’t come to these games. Go back a few years ago, there were huge crowds, because of the competitiveness between the two teams, and because of the actual type of game that was being played back then, compared to what’s being played now. Someone needs to wake up and have a serious look at how we’re going to progress, over the next 15 to 20 years, because if not we’re going to be under threat.”

Indeed, Offaly present a microcosm of these issues: the county has now gone nine seasons without winning a Leinster football championship match, yet in 1997 they were Leinster champions, and All-Ireland football champions in 1982, and All-Ireland hurling champions in 1998. Why such a dramatic fall-off?

Finance is at least partly to blame, especially compared to what Dublin are working off: speaking at the Faithful Fields event launch, aimed at restoring Offaly’s football and hurling fortunes, Flanagan points to Dublin’s far superior revenue.

“We have one football coach in our county; every club in Dublin has a football coach. So what’s going to happen is they’ll move to an even different level. Maybe it’s time for the hierarchy to realise that we need to develop football at schools level, more coaches at club level.”

Then there’s the championship structure. Earlier this week, Leinster chief executive Michael Reynolds suggested that any major revamp of the existing format, such as presented by the GPA, was far from practical: “You have to respect that too,” admits Flanagan, “and I’m not sure I’d like to see the Leinster championship go.

Extremely fit

“But I would like to see that it would be equal, and even. You take the likes of Offaly, you have to be extremely fit just to get over the first round. Whereas Kerry don’t start training until June because they know that they don’t need to. They’re training for an All-Ireland. Basically, in my opinion, it should be set up into four groups of eight, and still hold your province.

“I’d go further where you have two groups of four, then have a secondary competition [FOR]the two teams that don’t make the Leinster semi-finals. But there is a need for change.”

Flanagan also says that negotiations to allow for dual players in Offaly would begin soon: last year, then hurling manager Brian Whelahan refused to allow his players to consider both codes. Flanagan was hopeful new Offaly hurling manager Eamonn Kelly would be more open.

“Basically, Offaly need every player they can get. I spoke very briefly with Eamonn, and we said we might discuss it again and see what the possibilities are. It is difficult at this moment in time for young players to compete at both levels. Can we take on the guys that’s going to split their resources 50-50? Can they offer as much as the guys giving 100 per cent? That’s something we’ll have to tease out and see will it make the difference to the overall picture of things.”