Winning at all costs

Leave aside who may be right or wrong in the Community Games dispute involving Barna/Na Forbhacha and Tuam Stars, but there is something terribly unfortunate about an U-10 game ending up in such controversy.

There is no doubt far too much emphasise is put on winning at underage level. True, a competitive edge needs to be added as players get older but children and teenagers will always give of their best regardless of how a game is going.

Barna/Na Forbhacha and Tuam Stars finished level in their U-10 Community Games county semi-final and were still level after extra-time. Barna/Na Forbhacha emerged winners when a second period of extra-time was played after both clubs and the referee agreed to do so.

However, apparently, this contravened the rules and there was also some dispute over the first team to score in the second period of extra-time winning the match.

The net result is that the Barna/Na Forbhacha who left the field thinking they had won are now out of the competition after their club decided they would not play a refixture which was ordered by the Community Games.

No doubt each of the parties will feel they have done the right thing and Barna/Na Forbhacha can feel particularly aggrieved, but introducing nine year olds to the workings of the committee room is just unfortunate.

On the long road

Moycullen football made a welcome return to glory this year with their All-Ireland intermediate success and a return to the senior football championship in Galway for a club that has always kept it going through thick and thin.

But the draw has been far from kind to them. They lost Monday's first round replay to champions Killererin by 1-12 to 0-13 and must now face former All-Ireland champions Caltra in the qualifiers. However, it is business as usual for Padraic Joyce and his men, once more coming through a serious test and they surely remain the team to beat this year in Galway.