Coaches united in desire to keep old show on the road

Interprovincial Football Final: Keith Duggan on how the finalists are playing for the very existence of the event.

Once a glittering showcase for the very best of GAA hurling and football skill, the inter-provincial football championship flies westward to Boston this weekend. Although the ailing exhibition series has been considerably revived by the enthusiastic sponsorship of Clare man Martin Donnelly, there is a sense that this year's teams are playing for the very existence of the competition.

The lukewarm attitude of GAA president Nickey Brennan, concerned about the over-burdened GAA calendar, means that erasing the competition from the schedule is a distinct reality. And yet in an era when the demands on players and managers have never been greater, the old Railway Cup still has a loyal following among competitors.

"Before I got involved in this, I didn't understand the appeal," admits Leinster manager Val Andrews. "But the fact is that players regard it as an honour to get picked for their province. It is recognition, kind of like a mini All Star. For players coming from small rural or urban clubs or counties that don't get to play in the later stages of the championship, it is important.

"And it is the one competition that allows you to meet fellas from different counties. From a manager's point of view, the attraction is that you get to manage an elite squad of players in a short period of time."

Connacht manager John O'Mahony's involvement with the competition stretches back to the 1980s. He believes the inter-provincial games have suffered from being buffeted around the calendar in recent years and from general confusion as to what purpose they serve now that their appeal as mass exhibition attractions has dwindled. But he feels they can hold their own on the schedule and would argue that their existence is of more importance now that all levels of GAA activity are infused with a solemn level of professionalism and competitive edge.

"The appeal is that it is probably the one arena where players can afford to express their skills and individual qualities that are often lost or at least suffer in the white heat of the championship. What struck me when we played Munster in Ballyforan was there were 10 or 11 players from the All-Ireland final out there.

"And it was a much different atmosphere, obviously, under lights in a provincial ground with a crowd of maybe 1,500 people. But there was still a very enthusiastic reception, there was very entertaining football on show and the players enjoyed it. One of the common complaints among players is that there is no opportunity to engage with players from other counties. This is the one exception."

Rather than organise an official training session, O'Mahony selected a Rest of Connacht team to play a challenge game against Roscommon - who are already back in pre-season training.

He picked a squad from there - although his selection for this weekend's trip is contingent on Seán Boylan's International Rules panel.

The compromise game and the busy club championship scene has made this October - once the quiet season for the GAA - seem particularly hectic and cramming in the inter-provincial series has been an extra headache.

However, the decision to play the hurling final as a curtain raiser to the first International Rules series in Galway was a brainwave and, as O'Mahony says, "shows how the competition can be used imaginatively."

The cost of playing one of the annual finals in the Irish enclaves of Boston and Paris over the past two years have been frowned upon by some provincial delegates. But the linking of this year's football final with the delayed Ulster hurling final provides an attractive billing for GAA fans living in Boston.

The trip is regarded partly as a reward for the players but both managers believe there is a responsibility to the game involved as well as to the heritage of a competition which dates back to 1927 and was regarded as second only to the All-Ireland finals in prestige and importance through the middle decades of the last century.

"There is a social aspect to the inter-provincial cup which is great. But I have been involved in years where players would meet up on a Friday night for a Saturday match and "socialise" in every sense of the word," says O'Mahony.

" I think the discipline that players impose on themselves means they instinctively look after themselves when approaching games these days and certainly we will be treating this game seriously."

As Andrews points out, the inter-provincial series is a good test of competitive spirit in that there is nothing tangible riding on the result and teams are formed and disbanded for the purpose of what is, at best, a two-game tournament.

"In a way, the whole thing is like an unstructured game on the street. The enjoyment comes from seeing how players get to work out an understanding over a very short period of time."

This year's final will have an added incentive in that Connacht are chasing a first inter-provincial title since 1969, when the competition was still in rude health. Another win for Leinster would mean a 29th title for the province, two clear of Ulster.

The final will be played in Canton, outside Boston at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Martin Donnelly has indicated his willingness to keep on backing the competition if the GAA hierarchy give their blessing and find a fixed place for it on the calendar.

"The main thing is that it is a relatively easy tournament to run-off," reasons O'Mahony. "Players are still eager to be involved and I do believe that with the proper support behind it, the popular appeal can grow again.

"But either way, I think the time has come to decide whether to continue with it or not. If it is to stay, it needs to be backed fully by the organisation."