Galway football and all involved in it experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in 2000. Determination, frustration, elation, expectation and devastation all entered into the season at various stages. The determination ultimately came from the previous season of 1999 which was flawed in terms of success. It was apparent early on that the hunger which is so much a necessary ingredient of any success, was back. The record had to be put right.
Frustration crept in when it emerged at various stages of the year that key players would be missing due to injury. Thomas Mannion, Jarlath Fallon, Kevin Walsh and John Divilly to name but a few. Comparisons were being made with 1998 when we were able to pick from a fully-fit squad of 30.
The elation and relief that followed our performance against Sligo was palpable. It represented the first really decent display by the team since the All-Ireland final against Kildare back in '98. It saw Galway back as serious contenders for the championship. For the management, it confirmed we were on the right road.
After the All-Ireland replay against Kerry at the end of this long season, all that remained was disappointment and utter devastation. It brought it home to everyone that while the line between winning and losing is virtually invisible there is a world of difference on either side of that line. The winner does take it all, Sam Maguire, All Stars, Player of the Year Awards, celebrity status and the favourites tag for the following season - and that's the way it should be. Everything that makes winning great makes losing terrible.
Following the completion of an All-Ireland campaign, the league games before Christmas are like taking painkillers - if they work (and you win) the pain eases and if they don't (and you lose) the pain worsens. At least with the comfort of a few points in the bank facing a new year, you begin to look forward, not back.
The main talking point in GAA circles as we digest the Christmas dinner and plan for the season ahead is the impact of the new championship season for the various parties involved: players, managements, county boards, clubs and GAA headquarters.
From a players' perspective, they already have almost a whole year round season between club and county. With the championship starting earlier (the beginning of May because of the second chance for early season losers) it will mean the loss of a time span between league and championship for most teams. There will only be four or five weeks to prepare for the championship for the majority i.e. those who don't make it past the group stages. For the last four in the league there will be even less.
This is in sharp contrast to the 12 or 15 weeks many teams had between the league and the championship in the past. During that period, up until now, most teams played eight or ten challenge matches. As most of these matches were played against teams outside a team's own province, the amount of travel involved will probably encourage players to embrace the new changes, at least in this respect.
For Under-21 players who are at college and in their county senior teams there will be a hectic start to 2001. For players like James Gill of Mayo or Joe Bergin of Galway for instance, they will be playing for their college in Sigerson through January, February and March, for their county Under-21 teams and onwards, if successful. This will, of course, be in addition to their commitments at club and senior inter-county levels.
Many clubs are concerned that because of increased commitments at county level that club fixtures will suffer. In my opinion, this need not necessarily be the case if co-operation abounds within the new structure. It will mean, however that club fixtures will have to go ahead in tandem with inter-county progress and that players will have more competitive and fewer practice matches. Panel sizes may have to be increased to account for injuries which will, of course, be more frequent in serious, competitive matches than laidback challenges.
This will have a knock-on effect for county boards because if panels are bigger, costs increase. It will be vital also that any extra revenue generated from an increased number of games will be fed back to the county boards rather than creamed off at national level. That in itself will be a contentious issue in the present climate but if the games and coaching structures are in any way curtailed then they are only killing the goose that lays the golden egg. A magnificent stadium will not be filled without a healthy games structure at club and county level.
With regard to the number of games, played at senior inter-county level some of the less important competitions will have to come under serious scrutiny. I wasn't surprised to see the McKenna cup being dropped from the fixtures calendar in Ulster. If the equivalent competitions in the other provinces, the O'Byrne and McGrath Cups and the FBD League are to be played people will have to understand it will be with second string sides because it would be impossible for a player to be available 52 weeks of the year and play two or three matches in a weekend.
Finally as we lead in the New Year, all 32 teams will be looking to the future with optimism. That optimism will be dashed at various stages for all but one of the counties as the season progresses. The new structures in football were put in place so as to give more games to more teams to help particularly the so-called weaker counties. Ironically, it will make it harder for those same counties to win an All-Ireland as the best equipped teams are inevitably the stronger ones. If the likes of Meath are shocked in the first round it is unlikely that they would slip up when given a second chance. It is difficult to imagine All-Ireland quarter-final line-ups without many of the usual suspects.
In 2001, we will see teams going through many of the emotions that Galway experienced in 2000. The elation, frustration, determination, devastation or relief will occur again in the coming season and manifest itself in different coloured jerseys.
