Clarinbridge hurler TJ Brennan has admitted that his club’s player charter, which hit the headlines last month, was too ‘stern.’
The Galway club were at the centre of something of a storm when their charter did the rounds on social media in early December.
Entitled ‘requirements needed from players before we sign up for 2024,’ the list stated, amongst other things, that ‘anyone planning trips to Australia/America/Canada for the summer can’t be part of the senior panel for 2024.
It also ruled out holidays during championship, drinking during championship (June – Oct) and even placed a curfew of sorts on other sports such as soccer, golf, rugby and athletics.
With the club’s management and executive having initially been the subject of much derision due to the stringent nature of the demands, it was since revealed that the list had been thought up by the players themselves.
Speaking at the launch of the Electric Ireland Higher Education Championships, Clarinbridge, UL and Galway hurler TJ Brennan admitted that there should be more ‘give and take’ when it comes to club GAA.
“I didn’t think it would get out at all in the first place and then when it did, I was shocked to see how far it went,” said Brennan.
“These things happen. Everyone’s human. It’s gone now, it’s water under the bridge and we move on.”
“I think it was just to show ourselves really, that we’re focusing on hurling – it wasn’t to show anyone else,” he said, when quizzed further on the charter.
“There probably would be a bit more give and take to be fair.”
“We probably hadn’t put in a huge effort (last year), we felt, ourselves, so we probably went a bit too sternly with it.
“It was very stern alright, but in saying that, we were only trying to improve ourselves as well,” he added.
Brennan is in the middle of a very busy schedule, hurling Fitzgibbon with UL and training with Galway and he says that despite the compacted nature of this time of the year, he still very much enjoys the third level competition.
“We’re looking forward to the first round of the Championship against ATU Galway,” said Brennan, who has won two Fitzgibbon Cups with UL.
“It (the team spirit) can be slow to start at times, but what I’ve noticed in the past two Fizgibbon campaigns is that winning games brings a spirit.
“I’ve been fortunate that I’ve won a couple of Fitzgibbon games. That brings morale, a speaker on the back of the bus, a bit of craic on the way home.”
“Say, you’re playing with Mark Rodgers for UL, you’re against him then in the inter-county, could even be marking him. At the end of the day, we’re all in the same boat, we’re all trying to win a Fitzgibbon
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