Eddie Brennan says that teams from the Joe McDonagh Cup should have been considered for the upcoming super 11s games in the US.
All-Ireland semi-finalists Tipperary, Kilkenny, Limerick and Wexford will make the trip stateside later this month as the goals-only hurling format, which isn’t to everyone’s taste, moves from Boston to New York this year.
It was decided earlier this year that the last four teams standing in the Liam MacCarthy Cup would be in line for the trip though Brennan feels that it was an opportunity missed to promote the lower ranking counties.
He said: “There’s a lot of people going to go and enjoy that junket both across the GAA and the GPA and, again, it’s the top elite teams getting another reward.
“If you’re trying to grow the game in counties that are lower down, and this is possibly something that’s coming ahead for the tier two in football, guys are not stupid.
“Lads will look at it and say, ‘Apart from the fact that I’m playing with my county and putting in all that training, is there something there that’s worth winning? Is there something there that’s worth going for?’
“And I just think that in light of the strides that have been made by Carlow in the last five or six years, surely to God the Carlow team were as entitled as anyone to be considered for the super 11s or Westmeath.”
He added: “Don’t get me wrong, lads want to win things but medals are put away. You say, ‘Remember that year we went somewhere…’ or whatever, it’s part of the memories for lads, what sticks out for them and it’s just an additional little reward.
“The McDonagh teams now are looking at this and you might have lads that are very iffy about going back and committing to six or seven months of training but they know that if we get to that final, a reward is a spin to New York, if we can win it.
“Why not spread the love a little bit? Extend it to teams that are trying to make strides.
“It’s not the be all and end all for lads. Predominantly lads will do it for the love of the game, that’s always unquestioned for me, and the pride of their county, that’s what they do it for but, however, it’s nice to get a reward.”
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