Battle lines are drawn on ballot

With this afternoon's crucial vote on Rule 42 hanging in the balance, one of the battle lines for today's GAA annual Congress debate was drawn at last night's meeting of Central Council. A query at the end of the meeting led to confirmation that all members of the council will be mandated to vote in favour of a secret ballot.

A paper vote or secret ballot is seen as being an advantage to opponents of change who may well need delegates to depart from their mandate if the proposals for soccer and rugby internationals to be played at Croke Park are to be defeated.

When the matter of voting methods had been previously raised at Central Council it was agreed to accept a recommendation of the Management Committee that a paper ballot should be used in the Rule 42 debate. It was decided the final decision was a matter for annual Congress, which has full authority in the matter of standing orders.

The issue arose when Kerry delegate Ger McKenna dissociated himself from media reports that the counties proposing motions to change Rule 42 - including Kerry - would oppose the notion of a secret ballot.

"In Kerry we mightn't always agree with Central Council," said McKenna, "but we always accept them."

GAA president Seán Kelly said he believed the matter would be a matter for Congress and that Central Council members would not be bound to support the secret ballot.

That interpretation was contested by Down delegate Dan McCartan who pointed out the unanimous verdict of Central Council surely obliged its members to support that decision. It was further pointed out that whereas delegates represented their counties at Central Council, they represented Central Council at Congress.

The upshot is that all Central Council delegates will be mandated to vote in favour of a secret ballot when the method of balloting is put to this afternoon's Congress session just before the debate on Rule 42 commences.

Tellers for the counts at today's sessions will be the provincial secretaries together with the chairs of national committees who are not delegates to Congress, namely Páraic Duffy, Tony O'Keeffe and Brendan Dempsey.

The issue of burnout and player welfare arose at both Central Council and the opening session of Congress that followed. Having reviewed the report of the Players' Welfare Work Group, the GAA's Management Committee felt it needed more specific recommendations and with the approval of Central Council an advisory body was established to come up with such recommendations.

Cork delegate Bob Honohan asked Congress whether any progress had been made on plans to "put a cap on the number of training sessions for county panels".

President Kelly replied that a study had been carried out in relation to demands on players: "The situation has been monitored and reported on today and in conjunction with Player Welfare group we will come up with proposals."

It was also announced at Congress that a review would take place of the National Hurling League structures. Recent lop-sided results in the National Hurling League were raised by Offaly delegate Andy Gallagher.

"We've seen some of the biggest hammerings in recent years," said Gallagher.

"There's been talk of getting the Government to spend money on the game but it's important that expenditure be looked at in a reasonable manner.

"If the Ard Stiúrthóir's successor presents a report in 10 years and it's not more positive about hurling we're wasting our time. When teams are getting hammered by anything from 10 to 42 points, the structure of that competition has to be looked at."

The president replied: "We'll be asking GAC to sit down with the HDC (Hurling Development Committee) and look at the league and see if the proposals can be made to improve it".

Another Offaly delegate, Mick Spain, echoed concerns in the Director General Liam Mulvihill's report about the future supply of referees.

"Games will be called off because of there being no referees. We have to go back and start to recruit referees," he said, before asking the president: "What steps are you going take about clubs that aren't providing them?"

The president replied that there would be a recruitment campaign in September and that every county would be asked to come on board.

The report on integration with the women's sports of camogie and football was accepted in principle, although former president Con Murphy expressed misgivings about the potential drain on the GAA's personnel resources if the association had to start catering for two more sports.

Kelly's immediate predecessor Seán McCague thanked the director general for his comments in defence of the past presidents who had come in for much criticism after their decisions as the Motions Committee. "On behalf of all iar uachtaráin I thank him for his comments," he said.

The president also commented on the proposed demonstration by a residents group outside of this weekend's Congress.

Kelly said the group was not one of the official associations with which the GAA continue to have good relations.

"We have met recently and there will be further discussions and the establishment of an independent monitoring group to address residents' concerns," he said.