Club game has to be the priority says Derry boss Rory Gallagher

Croke Park has already stated the inter-county game will not be returning before October, if at all, this year due to the current coronavirus pandemic and Gallagher believes the Association is correct to take a safety first approach to the crisis.

However, while much of the debate and discussion has centred on whether the provincial and All Ireland championships will proceed, Gallagher says the focus should be on the club game which he believes is critical for so many communities in Ireland.

“We all love to talk, complain, debate and give out about football but as much as the county game is brilliant, everyone is really missing the club games,” explained the Derry manager.

“That’s what people are itching for, that community aspect of gathering at the local pitch to watch and chat, that whole aspect has gone at present. That’s the important thing and if county football can be fitted in after that, then all the better.

“You miss that community. We’d love to see light at the end of the tunnel but right now we have to take each day as it comes and do what is best for everyone.

“There is too much focus on the challenges for players in all this. Inter-county players are generally very single minded. There are more vulnerable people out there than county players and they should be the focus. Other people will be finding it much more difficult than sports people in this period.

“Of course we would love to be playing but there are lots of people with challenges much more important than that.”

The pandemic could yet see a premature end to Gallagher’s first season as Oak Leaf boss but he is hoping his players can use the period without fixtures positively and refused to rule out playing behind closed doors at some point in the future.

“I don’t think anyone is a fan of playing behind closed doors but we all would like our football,” he explained, “Put it this way, I’ll be really looking forward to seeing the golf on television if it gets up and running in June for something to watch and I’d imagine there are communities out there, and people sitting at home, so watching it in the house would be better than nothing.

“There are also players, who, if it is possible not to rob a year of their career, that would be great but if it’s not possible, then it is not possible. Keeping people safe has to be the first priority with these decisions.

“We have to be guided by the medical advice. We’ll watch the Bundesliga, we’ll watch the Premiership and we still have a number of months. Those other competitions are under pressure to get finished and there will be learnings taken from everything.

“The other side of it is, four to six weeks is a long time in the evolution of this virus and things can move on so we have to wait and see.”

Gallagher’s squad had seen its fair share of injuries and fatigue before the cessation and the enforced rest could prove a blessing for some players.

“There is a upside to most things in life and as much as we would love to be playing football, we have 12, 13 or 14 lads all under 23, a lot of them younger; you have five or six Slaughtneil players who needed a bit of down time and then you had a number of players rehabbing.

“Now there are a number who fall in between that and a particular focus for our group is Enda Lynn, Karl McKaigue and those guys, Jack Doherty, Paudie Cassidy, Michael McEvoy, Jason Rocks, but for Shea Down, for Conor McCloskey, for Conor Doherty, Declan Cassidy, for the two McWilliams, all those type of players, this is a huge opportunity to physically push on. That’s how we have to approach it.

“We mightn’t have too long for collective training should it start back but you’re going to get the guts of six weeks’ relative notice. For the modern player, that is plenty of time. Obviously the players are ticking over with running programmes as well and things but six weeks would be plenty of time.

“There is no point in the players being at peak of their fitness aerobically at this time because there are no games for club or county.

“We are happy enough and like everyone else, the players have plenty of spare time at present, there is plenty of boredom, which means they are more than willing to do the work.

“Obviously we can’t get out to see them at this moment in time but from talking to them and checking in with them, that is what they are at.”

Gallagher said the current crisis had once again highlighted the important role the GAA has in modern society but said the waiting game could continue well into the summer.

"The reality is the GAA don’t really know what will happen. To their credit they are seeking to give people as much clarity as possible but no one really knows how this will unfold. We are all at the mercy of that.

“We all want football, there is absolutely no doubt about that, but we all have to wait and see. We are all at the mercy of this virus and have to follow the advice that the medical professionals give us.”