McShea's Say: It was a Special outcome at Special Congress

A most interesting statistic at the weekend from the Munster GAA Council showed that GAA attendance had spiked by 44pc in 2023 in hurling but plummeted by 47pc in football that season.  

So, it was very gratifying to see GAA President Jarlath Burns bite the bullet and put in place a football review committee, with Jim Gavin as chairperson, and Dublin’s five in-a-row manager was an inspired choice for what had the potential to be a most exacting role.  

Between Burns and Gavin, they assembled a top-class committee, laced with experience and know-how. Gavin’s status in football coupled with his success in commercial life ensured that the people charged with making changes to football in its present guise would replace what is a modern-day bore fest with the quality that was missing for several years recently.  

Attendances at club football are much lower, not only here in the Northwest. but all over the country, but the delegates in Croke Park at last Saturday’s congress must be complimented for their almost unanimous approval of the proposed changes.  

It must have been a historic day as all the proposed rule changes, 49 motions in total, received 93 percent support. An enabling motion that will allow for alterations to be made next year before football commences in 2026 was also passed by more than 90pc of the delegates.  

With the opportunity to make rule changes only once every five years, it is to the GAA’s credit that they intervened to ensure that the issues that have made football a less than entertaining spectacle will be dealt with in the near future.  

I am convinced that the proposed rule changes will go a long way to restoring the game to the spectacle it was before the ‘win at all costs’ malaise that has dictated the modern game becomes history.  

People of the status of Michael Murphy, Malachy O’Rourke, and former Kerry manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice will have burnt the midnight oil with Gavin, with a clearly defined brief to provide the entertainment value that we have missed for so long.  

At the outset, some expressed reservations about how the new rules would or could impact club football, but there will be no ambiguity now, as all players, club and county, will embrace the new rules.  

That is also a major plus, it would be wrong to expect any player to deal with different rules whenever he pulls on a county jersey or a club shirt. While I am eagerly looking forward to the introduction of Gavin’s committee’s proposals, there are other attributes that will be essential for a team to achieve success.  

All successful teams need toughness in abundance with mental strength and character to burn. That is why I was very disappointed to read of Dublin midfielder Brian Fenton’s recent decision to retire.  

During their wonderful years, Dublin’s midfield was invariably anchored by Fenton who was very much the Dublin engine. He was one of the truly great midfielders of modern times combining strength, energy, and commitment with an unyielding determination to never accept defeat.  

Above all, he had an instinctive eye for an opening. His ability to spot a teammate who had stolen a yard on his marker or thread the ball through to a well-placed colleague was the foundation stone for many Dublin scores. Players like Fenton are simply special and even if he was driving a stake into Donegal’s heart, his class would always be admired. 

Four Masters U-21 Champions 

The Donegal town side had to be at their best to defeat a very talented Glenswilly outfit in Ballyshannon last Sunday.  

Four Masters have enjoyed lots of success at underage level, and this team have come up through the ranks, enjoying considerable success on the way. Glenswilly also have a great underage structure in place, and I expect both of these sides to spend county final days at MacCumhaill Park in the not-too-distant future.