GAELIC GAMES:GALWAY MANAGER John McIntyre has given his support to the current structure of the Allianz National Hurling League, in the face of calls for the top flight to be expanded.

Speaking in Croke Park at yesterday’s launch by the sponsors of this season’s competition, McIntyre, who led his team to last year’s title, said there was a reason why counties found themselves in Division Two.

“The reality is that there is a reason why teams are down there in the first place because they did not compete sufficiently well in Division One, so it’s a bit rich for certain counties to be complaining about being down there in the first place when they’re ignoring the cause of their demise.

“It happened on their watch and they have to take responsibility for it and there is no point officialdom trying to prop them up if the management and the players have been found wanting in the first place.”

He was referring to arguments advanced by Division Two counties, calling for the top flight to be expanded so that all senior championship sides could hurl there during the league.

Coincidentally, Galway this weekend face Wexford, whose manager Colm Bonnar has been one of the most vocal critics of the strictly hierarchical league structure and only this week repeated his criticisms despite taking the county to promotion last season.

“If Galway happen to be relegated from Division One this year,” said McIntyre, “we will take our medicine because our performances would not have been good enough.

“It is one thing competing at the business end of the competition, getting to a league semi-final or final but if you are in relegation trouble and you end up getting demoted to Division Two, you have to live with the consequences of that and you should not be bailed out by officialdom.

“If you were not good enough over a particular few months and you go down, live with it, rebuild and get on with it.”

Asked about the collective training ban in November and December, McIntyre, who also opposed moving the start of the league back to before Christmas – as proposed by Roscommon for April’s Congress – said he favoured reducing its scope and rescheduling the third-level competitions.

“I have no problem with the training ban. I understand the logic of it. I would end it at the end of November and county teams should be allowed back training from December 1st.

“I think the GAA should look at – and I know this is not their area of governance – encouraging the universities to run off the Fitzgibbon Cups in the months of November and December.

“Playing on muddy pitches and players are being pulled all over the place in all sorts of directions, so obviously the less competitions that are going on the less pressure there is on players.”

In the immediate term, McIntyre has a daunting list of injuries before Sunday’s match with Wexford. Long-term absentees Shane Kavanagh and Richie Cummins have been joined in dry dock by Joe Canning, Damien Hayes, Joe Gantly, Adrian Harte, Kevin Hynes, Fergal Moore, Damian Joyce and Niall Donoghue.

The Galway manager strongly defended his star attacker Joe Canning, who admitted last year 2010 hadn’t been a great year for him.

“I have worked with Joe for the past two and a half years and I can tell you this hand on heart, I have never come across an individual who is more committed and devoted to the Galway cause than him. He’s a jewel to work with.

“The expectations placed on his shoulder are extreme. There was a lot of hype about Joe Canning even before he first wore the Galway senior jersey.

“The worst thing for Joe would have been to be an overnight sensation at senior level because then the hype machine and the pressure would have gone into over-drive. I have no doubt that Joe Canning will be a major player for Galway in the months ahead.

“I’m hoping he gets this injury sorted out as quickly as possible. His heart is in the right place, his mind is in the right place and he’s given hurling a fresh dimension with the publicity he’s bringing to the game.”

He added that he wouldn’t be rushing the player back into action.

“It’s an inflamed heel part and it takes time. Where it is, it’s underneath his foot. Your whole body weight is on your feet so it’s not as though he can be jogging around to sort it out. He just has to rest the injury.

“We don’t really have a time put on when he will come back but he’s working hard in the gym and on the flipside, maybe the break from hurling won’t do him any harm. I think that young man needs to recharge his batteries a little bit because Joe Canning would hurl four matches a day if you let him.

“All I can say is I’m glad I have Joe Canning – rather than Declan Ryan, Donal O’Grady or Brian Cody (have him).”