Kildare manager Brian Flanagan expresses disappointment at the cancellation of the O'Byrne Cup, believing it would have been valuable for his team's preparation for the Allianz League.
An O’Byrne Cup campaign would have been “a huge help” to Kildare manager Brian Flanagan as he finds his feet in the job. Flanagan has replaced Glenn Ryan in the role after a successful period in charge of the county’s under-20 side and while grateful for Saturday night’s challenge game against last year’s All-Ireland finalists Galway ahead of the Allianz League getting underway later this month, the pre-season competition would have served a broader purpose, he felt.
Amid pressure from the Gaelic Players’ Association, the GAA’s Central Council voted to park all of the traditional January competitions for this year, with a subsequent vote to reverse the decision falling short. Flanagan said: “I actually think this year I would have preferred the O'Byrne Cup. The new rules, first of all, the only way to really test them is in a competition. “I know the O'Byrne Cup wasn't a priority for the majority of teams but given that managers, players, referees, administrators, everybody was trying to get their head around the new rules, I thought it made sense to keep the O'Byrne Cup this year. “As a new management, with a big squad and a lot of new lads that we wanted to see, the O'Byrne Cup would have been a huge help to us. So yeah, I was probably disappointed that fell by the wayside.” Kildare open their Division Three campaign at home to Fermanagh on January 25 and Flanagan said they may only play one more challenge game before that, possibly against Down. “We may have one more next Saturday, it's yet to be confirmed but that will be it. We're just playing one more. I think for us, when you're dealing with a new squad, and you're trying to give as many lads as possible an opportunity, if we play an in-house game we get to see 30-plus lad
GAA O'byrne Cup Kildare Brian Flanagan Allianz League
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