Walkovers may force football format change in Waterford
Waterford GAA chairman Paddy Joe Ryan believes a knockout county championship format will have to be considered following the two walkovers which have blighted the Waterford SFC.
Ballinacourty were due to play Gaultier in Group C of the Waterford SFC on Sunday, but the latter were unable to field as they had only 13 players available. Also in that group, the weekend before last, Brickey Rangers’ inability to get 15 men on the field meant they were forced to award the points to An Rinn.
County board chairman Ryan said it was “very disappointing” to see two walkovers materialise, but did stress that Gaultier and Brickey Rangers would have been aware of their respective championship programmes from much earlier in the year.
He added that if clubs are unable to fulfil fixtures during the summer months because of player unavailability, then a knockout championship format, which would throw-in once the inter-county season is at an end, will have to be considered
Maybe, April will be a month for the clubs and then, if the clubs want this, the county championship takes on a knockout format when club action resumes in August.
“That is one of the solutions, as far as I see it,” said Ryan.
“We brought the Brickey Rangers game forward by a week, after a request, and unfortunately, they still couldn’t get a team together.
“I’d be very disappointed that any walkover would be given in any code.
“We are one of the few counties playing championship during the summer because we have to. We need to play the games now in order to meet our Munster deadlines. Also, we are trying to give our dual clubs a chance, so they are not, where possible, playing every week come August and September.
“If playing games at this time of year isn’t workable for the majority of clubs, who may have lads gone to America or elsewhere, then, maybe, the format needs to be looked at.”
