A member of the GAA's Coaching and Games Development committee has strongly criticised the decision to stage a Railway Cup hurling semi-final as a curtain raiser to the second International Rules Test in Croke Park at the end of this month.
John Henderson, the Kilkenny triple All-Ireland winner, was reacting to the recent decision not to play the hurling-shinty International Rules match against Scotland on the same bill as one of the football Tests.
Henderson, now resident in Bray, is well known for his coaching work with the local Emmets club and Wicklow hurling in general.
He was closely involved in last year's initiative to base international selection on hurlers from the lower league divisions and weaker counties, but has declined to do so again in protest against the above decision.
The project was a great success, getting a great response from the players, whereas in the past teams of more established hurlers hadn't always taken the matches so seriously.
And, against even well-disposed projections, the innovation culminated in a win against the Scots over in the Highlands last year.
This year, however, it has been announced that the two football Tests against Australia will be preceded by the final of a special international tournament to celebrate the centenary of the camogie association and the Railway Cup hurling semi-final between Munster and Leinster.
The hurling-shinty match will consequently have a far lower-key setting.
"Basically the concept was to support the weaker counties," said Henderson.
"The president is supposed to be serious about supporting them and we had a special football competition (the Tommy Murphy Cup) played at Croke Park this year.
"To the top hurlers this had become a junket, but it meant an awful lot to those from the third world of hurling. In their wisdom the GAA put on a Railway Cup match instead."
The hurling interprovincial was the idea of Clare's Noel Walsh, who has been a tireless advocate of the Railway Cup in recent years, including the initiative to play last year's hurling final in Rome and this year football decider in Paris next month.
Henderson strongly disagrees with sacrificing the weaker hurling counties to benefit the elite.
"This was a huge opportunity and great incentive for hurlers from non-traditional counties. Take a player like Wayne O'Gorman from Wicklow, and all the guys from counties like Meath and Derry who came to the trials.
"It gave them an Irish jersey and made them very, very proud. There's been a lot of talk and a lot of committees but this was a practical way of doing something for players who get very little incentive."
Meanwhile, two major overseas GAA events take place this weekend with the Hong Kong GAA staging the 2004 IrishAbroad.com Asian Gaelic Football seven-a-side.
Thirty-two teams from 11 Asian countries will compete in what will be the largest Irish gathering in Asia.
The qualifying rounds will be played at three locations on Saturday, before the surviving teams descend on Aberdeen Stadium for the knock-out semi-finals and finals on Sunday.
Also on Saturday will be the grand finals of the European Board's football league, both men's and women's, at The Hague Rugby Club.
