[ad_1]
In these changing and often confusing times, knowing the correct Covid protocol is not always an easy task.
In Carlow, the club championships reached the semi-final stage before being postponed. The launch was run first, but a delay to the quarterfinals, due to two positive cases of Covid-19 for the Palatine GAA club, meant that the tight schedule was at a breaking point. The plug was removed.
Niall Carew, in his first season in charge of the county, convened an extended panel to enforce the rule on prospective players. Inside games were helpful, but challenge games were more beneficial.
Sean Lawlor, who ran from the corner to score a goal in injury time in the memorable Leinster Championship loss to Kildare two years ago, remembers the first challenge game well.
“The county team we played against showed up wearing masks. The talk in the dressing room was, they have masks and we don’t. The guys were like, ‘Should we wear masks?’ We were questioning who was right and who was wrong. ”
Leinster’s rivals Offaly take on Tipperary this weekend, hoping to move north on the Division 3 table, which currently sees them occupying the middle of the table with Derry.
Veteran Niall McNamee doesn’t have two weeks of intercountry training under his belt, given Rhode’s successful pursuit of the county’s 30th title.
He was impressed by the measures taken and the work done by Covid officials. Being back in the locker room was the initial novelty.
“The dressing rooms and the showers were a great thing.”
Also for Lawlor, being able to use the facilities was a significant change from club football.
“The locker room was the trunk of your car. County prep is so much easier, especially if it’s raining, working with the band and lathering up,” says Carlow’s 2016 Footballer of the Year.
“It’s like going back to the norm. We sat down, we chatted on the other side of the dressing room.”
“We are giving ourselves the greatest possible opportunity so that there are no cases within the team”
To say that it is a fluid situation is to put things gently. Offaly has taken additional precautionary measures in addition to the GAA Covid Advisory Group guidelines.
Last Tuesday night a marquee was installed outside for segregated pitchers and footballers to change and the meals were strictly to go. Having been part of a local block that also featured Kildare and Laois, they are not taking risks and the players are simply rolling with the punches.
“We are giving ourselves the best possible chance that there are no cases within the team,” says the 34-year-old.
Fourteen months after succeeding Turlough O’Brien, Carew will oversee only his sixth competitive game in charge, where his former charges, Sligo, will provide the opposition.
Back in Division 4 after achieving a first promotion in 33 years in 2018, it seems unlikely that they will repeat the trick this time having scored just one win in five in a tight-looking group.
Despite all the wellness factor surrounding the club championship, Lawlor feels the closed nature that had to exist had dire consequences.
“To be honest, I play soccer for social interaction.
“The club scene, it felt like you were coming in, you were playing, you were going home. It felt like a job. Coming back to the county, it’s more enjoyable because you can have a little more fun with the guys.”
McNamee witnessed something similar, but each coin has two sides.
The added advantage of the club having priority in the summer was that the players always arrived early to train. Before the sessions began, there was plenty of time to shoot the breeze. Long afternoons made this easy at a time when it was most needed.
Winter training is a different beast.
“You could look at it and say we’re not having the same interactions as maybe, but at the same time it’s brilliant that we have it as an outlet. It’s way better than what some people are going through right now.
“We are in a prime position to go out and play the sport that we love. It would be great if we could have a little more, but we have to count on our blessings to be able to go train and play.
“You make it work. There are certain situations where you can be on the field after training, or between exercises, cheering on the guys.”
Not surprisingly, given the reduced face-to-face communication, technology has been put in a vacuum.
“Compared to previous years, there has been a lot more in the WhatsApp group. They were discussing strategies and all that.”
The threat of outbreaks and the possibility of transfers will be present throughout the championship.
Fermanagh’s attempt to postpone his first league match against Clare due to 10 players testing positive for coronavirus and seven other panel members in isolation is a scenario we can see replicated.
The GAA has indicated that forfeitures are a more likely option during the league rather than a championship given the tighter schedule, but it increases the chance that counties will advance due to the misfortune of others.
Lawlor admits he has heard people joke that Carlow could win the Leinster championship via trails.
“No player wants to win a game that way. No player wants to reach a Leinster semi-final just because of walkover. You would almost prefer to play and lose.”
[ad_2]