AFTER 14 seasons with Monaghan, Paul Finlay is still going strong with Ballybay Pearse Brothers and the former Farney star is able to speak from experience when he says the “balance was off” when it came to the tug-of-war for players between clubs and counties.
2020 has seen a departure from the joint season to a defined club/county split and Finlay says the new schedule – temporarily introduced to limit the spread of coronavirus – should become another part of the ‘new normal’.
“I like the idea of a split season,” said Finlay.
“I am all far for clubs getting time with their county players.
“I think the balance was off prior to now where the county was dictating when clubs got their players and there was a limited amount of time and it varied all over the country with the different times players were being allowed to spend with their clubs.
“From a Monaghan perspective, the inter-county and club scene always worked well. The county management always respected the clubs’ needs and we never had any major problems but I would be all for a split season and having that actual set time and period for club football.”
How that would work is the conundrum of course and Finlay admits he doesn’t have the answer. However, he trusts the fixture-makers at Croke Park to come up with a solution.
“I am trusting that there is a lot of good work being done at all levels,” he said.
“I think everyone has the best interests of the association at heart and there is a feeling that something needs to change. There is no easy solution to this and if there was it would have been done a long time ago. It is really, really hard with the amount of games and different codes to try and fit it into one calendar year. It is extremely difficult but I trust that a lot of good work has been done and I am hopeful that they can come up with a good solution.”
The fixtures have come thick and fast for Ballybay since club football resumed and Finlay is preparing for Sunday’s senior championship semi-final against Oisin McConville-managed Inniskeen. He has struggled to recover from being injured in Ballybay’s opener against Clontibret but is now fully fit and hoping to stay that way to help his club to a first title since 2012.
“We have a committed team, a committed group that like to play and like to come training,” he said.
“We don’t have any issues with guys not turning up and that has always been the case. In my time playing for Ballybay that has been the way and it is continuing.
“There is a strong group gathering again this year and that is just the philosophy within the club, we just keep trying, keep knocking on the door.
“It means we have been there or thereabouts but in all honesty, Ballybay have only been in one final since we won it in 2012 which I suppose, from anyone looking outside, it appears to be knocking on the door but only final appearance in that eight-year period is not doing enough.
“In our opinion we still have a lot to improve on and the first thing we have to do is get back to a final and we have that opportunity coming up this weekend so that is where we are at.”
