Waterford boss Liam Cahill reckons cutting inter-county training provides much needed ‘clarity’ for players.
Cahill released his deise hurlers from formal training last week, well ahead of yesterday’s GAA guidelines to ‘suspend all inter-county training’.
Waterford had been due to host Cahill’s native tipperary in the opening round of the Munster SHC this Sunday.
But with no sign of a concrete schedule in place, and the GAA now confirming it doesn’t expect county games until October at least, the manager felt obliged to act.
Cahill said: “That was 100 per cent the whole idea, to offer them a little bit of clarity.
“There are a lot of people far more qualified than me who will tell you that keeping physically active and keeping your mental health right is very important, and of course it is, but it can also be a mental burden, that feeling that you have to be constantly on, constantly training to meet the demands of Championship hurling.
“That was why we did it and look, yes it’s a balancing act but we’ve asked them not to lose total accountability but to also realise that we’ve taken away that rigid strictness of a training programme.”
Cahill said it’s a frustrating period but acknowledged the difficult position the GAA finds itself in.
“The officials within the Gaa want to make sure there’s a high possibility that games can actually go ahead and that it’s realistic before they guarantee anything. I can see where they’re coming from even though it’s frustrating for players and management.”
