Club football should come back before the county game or the GAA will lose players.

That’s the opinion of Clann Eireann manager Tommy Coleman.

“We have to look after the 98 per cent of the GAA and not the two percent. We are community-based clubs and we are out there for our communities. We have to look after the welfare of the majority not the minority.

“Them boys have been kicking their heels since last August. These are young lads. I have a lot of young lads coming through there. They need to get some shape of football. If they don’t get football they will end up walking away and doing something else. I am serious. We need to look after our players. As an association that’s what we need to do. We need to look after everybody. Not just the elite.

“I think that could happen everywhere. If GAA isn’t happening, and some other sport is going on, and they are offered it then they will take it. Then you are in danger of losing players.”

Coleman says that the format of last season should be repeated with club getting to play during the summer, and then leave the final few months for the intercounty season. He says doing that will make sure that club players get to see some action, as there is a good deal of uncertainty about how the pandemic is going to develop over the next few months.

“We don’t know what is going to happen. You can see what is happening in Europe and in Brazil. If we were to leave football to August or September time, these lads mightn’t get any football.

“The resources can be put in to keep the intercounty bubbles tighter. They are better able to play later in the year. They are able to go to Croke Park, whereas club players can’t use certain facilities.

“If the county goes first it would be an awful shame as it leaves you with very little football especially in good weather. The pitches that you are going to, later in the year, you don’t know if you are going to get any sort of season in. That would be my big worry.”

Coleman is clear about what he expects from next season.

“I want the second half of our league to be played this year, and whoever wins is promoted, and whoever is relegated goes down. Then I would play our championship. If there was time to play a round robin championship that would be great because it would be more matches for the boys. We have to be realistic because there are other people who need football, so it will probably just be straight knockout. And last year’s championship was great.”

Last year, Clann Eireann had a mixed league campaign, and their championship ended in a dramatic extra-time championship defeat to eventual champions Maghery.

“A week before championship we played Madden at home. We were well beaten. We learnt lessons. We had a real good training session. and we came out of the right side of a tough game against Granemore. We then played Maghery. They went on and won the championship  but we took them to extra time. They beat us by a point, Their experience came through at the end – they were a bit cuter and craftier.”

Coleman managed Clann Eireann in the early 2000s and returned to take them again last year. He found it to be a good learning process.

He said that his team was stronger last year because they had a number of older lads who had returned to the team.

“We were able to mix them in with the younger lads coming through. I had plenty of players last year. We had anywhere between 35 to 40 payers.

“We had some great in house matches. It was really able to bring us on. We were able to work on plays and systems that we want to play.

“They are training on their own. We keep in touch through Zoom and Whatsapp. We just have to battle through on together. We are hoping to get some sort of football.

“They have been positive, when they are doing the training. A lot of them are very young and this sort of thing can hit them hard. But they are great lads. They motivate each other and keep each other going. The majority seem to be coping okay. All the outlets are there for them, but thankfully they haven’t needed to do that.”