Munster and Leinster could join in football, suggests Munster chair Murphy

In a wide-ranging interview for this weekend's Irish Examiner, Murphy suggests coperation between the provinces may be a possible solution.

“Outside of the All-Ireland football and hurling final, the Munster hurling championship is the next biggest championship in the country. It’s just unbelievable,” he said.

“For me coming from a football county, not really having a real sense of it until I got involved with Munster three years ago, and becoming chairman now, it’s just incredible.

“You’ve five counties who, at any given time, and on any given day, can beat the other county. It creates the most interest within the counties, but also outside.

“Unfortunately, the football championship is not at the same level, mainly through the lack of competitiveness, outside of Kerry. They are dominating it. I’m not sure what we can do with it, from within the province.

“Whether there is an opportunity, and I’d like to explore it over the next while, to see if there is something, within the new structure, where we could look at alternatives at making Munster, and maybe Leinster, to do something together on that.

“Try to make it more even, and to level out the competitiveness a bit more. It’s not an easy thing to do, because the Munster hurling championship is sacrosanct. Provinces are a very important part of the GAA, and need to be maintained.

“It’s trying to get that balance in ensuring that is kept, and the integrity of the provincial championships are kept, while trying to increase the competitiveness of football, particularly in Munster, but also in Leinster it has to be said.

“Connacht is quite good, three or four teams that are going to be there or thereabouts every year, and Ulster is obviously a very competitive province every year. There is an opportunity for Munster and Leinster to have a conversation to see if there is something, potentially, that could be done.”

The Brosna native is also a big supporter of what the Football Review Committee are trying to do to improve Gaelic football, and he believes that the new rules on dissent could also be a game-changer when it comes to the retention of referees, and enticing others to pick up the whistle.

“We’re the first province in the country to appoint a full-time referees’ co-ordinator. We did that in Munster just before Christmas. Johnny Ryan, the former All-Ireland referee, has been appointed. One of his tasks is referee recruitment, along with refereeing appointments,” he added.

“He is working with every referee’s administrator within each county, identifying new referees, organising refereeing courses. Ger Ryan, my predecessor, started a referees’ course in Mallow, and that has proven to be a resounding success.

“Three or four refs are being brought over from each county, and a lot of those have progressed up through county championships in their own county, to Munster games, and games at a higher level.

“No different to a player pathway in coaching and games, there is a referee pathway now being developed in Munster. If it continues to decline in the numbers that they are declining, there will be no games, because there will be no-one to ref them.

“I do think the new rules in football will have a huge impact on it. Munster met recently with the Cork and Kerry football referees, and the feedback from the referees on the ground was really positive, particularly when it comes to dissent.

“That was a real off-putting part of the game, the abuse that referees were being subjected to. Indirectly, in my opinion, the new rules are going to assist in referee recruitment, and retention.

“Retaining them is important as well. Training up referees is grand, but they need to be retained. In as far we possibly can, we’re working through that.

“We’re also working with the third level colleges. Munster have a centre of excellence agreement with Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, a partnership arrangement where that whole area of coach development, referee development, is being developed as well, with a view to getting formal qualifications.

“We’re just trying to make the environment as attractive as possible to get referees in, but also to get them to stay involved.

“We’ve seen it in other sports, not that we’re trying to copy others, but I think the fundamental part of the GAA is respect, give respect and get respect. For whatever reason over the years, there seemed to be an attitude that you could say whatever you want to a referee.

“That’s now changing, with the FRC proposals, and it’s being hugely welcomed by referees on the ground. It’s working, and that’s a game-changer in terms of recruitment and retention.”

The tweaks made this week by the FRC, after five rounds of the national league, were also welcomed by the Munster Council chairman. There had been a few unintended consequences of the initial rule amendments, and it was important that there was an attempt to rectify them.

“The general consensus that I am getting is that the rule changes were long overdue. It’s a vastly improved game, in terms of skill and being able to demonstrate skill, high fielding, long kicking.

“Teams are coming to terms with all that, and still trying to work through that, in terms of getting their best kickers on the ball for two-pointers outside the arc.

“As a game already, Gaelic football has vastly improved in a short space of time. We’ve gained a lot, albeit that there is criticism in some quarters.

“That was inevitable, because when you’re introducing something like that, you’re always going to have issues arising that might not suit certain teams, or certain management teams.

“I have total confidence in the FRC, in Jim Gavin, and from Munster’s perspective, in Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Colm Collins, two huge football men as well.

“The outlook for the year is really, really positive. It will be borne out during the championship when the weather improves and, when we move into the later stages of the season, we’ll have a lot better spectacle.”

Read the Tim Murphy interview in this weekend's Irish Examiner