The life of an inter-county player regardless of team or level is not easy, but if you’re winning All Irelands or at least in the conversation to, you can understand why a young hurler, footballer or camogie player would put themselves through what they do.
However, what if you’ll never climb the steps of the Hogan Stand desperately trying to remember the first few lines as Gaelige of your All Ireland winning speech? What if you travel up and down the road never staying in hotels regardless of how far away the game is because your county board won’t pay for accommodation? What if you are likely to get knocked out in the first round and know this from when the draw is made?
I recently met Shane Briggs for a chat about this weekend's Munster Championship opener with Tipperary in Thurles. When we sat down, I was struck by his dedication and will to win for his team. A victory in this game will take them to a semi final at home to Kerry in Dungarvan, while defeat will see them swim the shark-infested waters that are the qualifiers .
Victory is by no means guaranteed, in fact Waterford will be second favourites against a Tipperary team who operate a level above their neighbours in Division 3 and are dripping with talent from a rebooted underage system. Even if they win on Sunday, Waterford are highly unlikely to give the Kingdom a run for their money.
Depending on their draw in the qualifiers, their year could be over without a Championship win and that’s the case for many counties in Divisions 3 and 4.
So why do players like Briggs in Waterford and many others in counties like Carlow, Wicklow and Leitrim keep coming back for more what do they get out of it?
Speaking about his team mates, Briggs said: “the camaraderie they feel with their fellow player is unbelievable. The spirit in the camp is brilliant. Even though I was playing for Waterford which made me proud I was still able to go out and mark the best players and it allows you to test yourself. You’re trying to prove to yourself you're good enough, and if I was from Dublin or Kerry would I be up to the standard? It’s the internal motivation you have to have. It doesn’t matter if your from Kerry or Waterford.”
As he says this, I get a sense of Briggs' aspiration for excellence, but how can they be excellent in an imperfect system? What can be done for teams like Waterford? Would the much-mooted two tier Championship work?
Briggs insists they just want games. “There’s not enough games. You're training for nine months for two Championship games. That for me is not good enough."
"Players in the weaker counties don’t want to be training for 6 to 7 weeks in a row. I’d be a huge advocate of being in the normal Provincial Championship and then the All-Ireland qualifiers, but have something else. We don’t need four or five weeks between games. Play them off every week."
"That’s the only way to get up to the level. Keep playing more games at a high intensity level that you won’t get in Club Championship.”
Briggs sat down with me for the Monday Rewind in which he discusses a two tier Championship, the best players he’s marked and this Sunday's game with Tipperary.
You can hear the interview in full by clicking into the link bellow.
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