SLEACHT NEILL boss Michael McShane broadly welcomes the CPA’s blueprint for a split-season – but while it appears revolutionary on the face of it, he doesn’t think it’ll change the way things are done in the famous south Derry club.

The CPA has recommended that the intercounty season is played in full between February and the middle of July, with the rest of the season squared off for club activities.

McShane, who steered Sleacht Néill to their eighth Derry SHC title in-a-row at the weekend, isn’t sure whether it’ll change much for his team, even though he thinks the general philosophy behind the idea is to be welcomed.

“Usually our dual players have finished up by mid-July anyway, and we have the players back for the foreseeable until it’s all over.

“Obviously it’s going to be totally different for clubs around the county, but for Sleacht Néill it looks like things will basically be the same.

“I’m not sure where league hurling fits into this unless it’s played in the early part of the year without county players, and again that wouldn’t change much for us either.”

If the new proposals become a reality, provincial club competitions will start at the end of October and the All-Ireland club finals on the weekend of 11/12 December. That’s something McShane is very positive about.

“I still think the fact there’s going to be a split-season is a good idea as long as everyone buys into it.

“It’ll never be a perfect scenario for everyone, but as an idea it makes sense, and I agree with the All-Ireland club being played in the second week of December.

“When we’ve won the Ulster club title, we’ve had a 12 or 14-week break and it really breaks your momentum so I’d be glad to see everything played in one calendar year.”

The CPA have forwarded two split season scenarios to the GAA’s Fixtures Task Force, and both options mean basically the same for hurling.

The Liam McCarthy would mostly stay as it is, albeit with an increased number of participating teams, while the other championships – the Nicky Rackard and Christy Ring for example – will be merged with the league, which in theory would allow for more streamlined and easily promotable competitions.

As far as football is concerned, the CPA has proposed two different plans, but in both they advocate a provincial league that would entail, for example, a Leinster county moving into Ulster so each group has the same number of teams, with top performers qualifying for a chance to play for the Sam Maguire.

McShane, meanwhile, also expressed his disappointment that Sleacht Néill won’t be able to defend their Ulster crown as the provincial and All-Ireland Club competitions have been cancelled this season.

“I very passionately believe that the club season has to have an opportunity to be finished this year. Circumstances have dictated that it can’t be finished before 2021, so I think as a one-off they should say, ‘once the intercounty season ends on December 21 with the All-Ireland football final, we’ll finish off the club stuff in January and February and give all the county champions an opportunity to play in their provincial championships.’”

By Niall Gartland