Inter county is all about sinking or swimming

Our two smallies had their first swimming lesson last weekend and they loved it.

The instructor was brilliant and chatting afterwards, he explained why he spent only a short amount of time in the shallow kiddies pool – giving them a few basics – before bringing them into the normal pool that the strongest of swimmers were using.

Basically he felt if they spent too long in the shallow waters they would become too used to or dependent on that depth and wouldn’t react well when literally thrown in at the deep end!

Obviously he eased them into the deeper waters and built their confidence bit by bit. I couldn’t help but compare it to a player’s introduction to inter county action.

I spent most of my first year with Limerick seniors on the subs bench. I didn’t mind. It was a strong team and I was still taking part fully in all the trainings.

But competitive appearances were few and far between. We played Mayo in the run up to championship and I’d been going fairly well in training and started corner back.

It turned out to be the definition of being thrown in at the deep end and I’m not ashamed to admit that I welcomed the “lifebuoy” of being subbed off before halftime. I’d spent too much time in the shallow waters and wasn’t ready for the huge jump in levels.

I hadn’t been exposed to it enough and when sink or swim were my only options I was in trouble. Yes, I had the basics from training but that alone isn’t enough when you are not used to the intensity or speed of a top team.

The format of the Allianz Football Leagues nowadays is what it is. You will rarely if ever find a “2nd tier” team competing on a weekly basis with the big boys.

And while it ensures that the box office games occur with more regularity, it also means that the teams in the lower divisions start getting used to the level they annually operate in.

Of course, if you are good enough you will get promoted up through the leagues. And some do. But even for those teams the ability to break into that top division and compete regularly with the top teams is for the most part aspirational rather than realistic.

This wasn’t the case thankfully in my second year with Limerick. A substitute appearance followed by two starts in an extended McGrath Cup campaign allowed me to dip my toes in the water.

And that continued into a Division 1 league campaign that included games against Dublin, Mayo, Donegal, Cork, Kerry and Tyrone!

Week after week facing the best players in the country. I couldn’t have asked for a better football education and even though there were moments when I glanced to the safety of the subs bench/kiddies pool, I knew if I could swim in those shark infested waters and survive that I’d be ok.

Through no fault of the Limerick players in recent years that opportunity is no longer presenting itself.

One off games against Tyrone and Mayo in knockout championship has given players a fleeting opportunity to measure themselves against the best but also meant an end to their season. No chance to apply what was learned and grow.

The harsh reality is that the format of Senior Inter County Football is unlikely to change, but there should be more opportunities at Post Primary School and 3rd Level to increase exposure to the best teams and players.

At Post Primary Schools level, the reality is that no one school in Limerick has the ability to compete on their own in the top Munster competitions.

Previously there was the possibility of amalgamation teams which allowed young lads the opportunity to compete at the top level with the best players of their age in the province. Hopefully that opportunity will be made available again in the near future.

Likewise at colleges level, the experience of competing with and against the best players in the country should be embraced.

An example of this is Colm McSweeney, a recent Sigerson Cup winner and someone who, from what I’ve seen so far this year, has been the most improved player in a Limerick jersey.

Training regularly with the likes of Sean O’Shea and his contemporaries has served him well. Likewise with Sean O’Dea who also has a Sigerson medal from his time with UCD. You swim in that pool enough and it just becomes natural!