Could Semple be empty in 2020?

Tipperary County Board chairman John Devane feels it might be better to play no inter-county championship this year if it meant rushing into a scenario that negatively impacts the GAA in the long run.

The Boherlahan-Dualla clubman was speaking ahead of this Friday's Special Congress of the GAA which will have just two motions, both relating to giving the assocations management committee and a sub-committee the task of making decisions regarding the championship structures for 2020.

However, the Guardian understands that no debate has taken place yet regarding possible structures or a timeframe for playing the inter-county championships, however, the county chairman John Devane urges caution with regard to any possible proposals to come from the special committee who are expected to get the go-ahead this Friday.

“If this year went by with no games it would be better than rushing into something,” said Tipperary County Board chairman John Devane.

“One hundred years ago we played two championships in one year at different times. Would you be better of whatever format would you be better off playing two championships in one year rather than playing this years championship in the muck and rain in November. It's a lottery then.

“Whatever they come up with, they are not going to get thirty, forty or fifty thousand people into Croke Park.”

Unlike all GAA Congresses, only each counties central council representative will be on the teleconference this Friday with Michael Bourke representing Tipperary for a meeting that is expected to last just over an hour.

However, John Devane feels any return to the field of play is still some way off yet.

“I could not see anything being played in June to be honest about it,” he said.

“I could see from mid July onwards but are our county teams going to be training at the same time. There are rumours going around of late July of inter-county teams being allowed to train. What's true or what is kite-flying I don't know.”

There is a growing feeling that whenever the go ahead is given for games to resume that it will be club competitions to start first because of the smaller number of people involved with social distancing set to be part of our everyday lives until a vaccine for Covid-19 has been developed.

“I don't know is there anyone doing anything until they know the certain dates you have,” Devane added.

“There has been talk that club will be played first because you would have less people there but to be honest if there were two or three hundred people at a game, it's still a long way from where we are now.”