It was ultimately an unsuccessful year for Carlow’s intercounty sides with their senior footballers and hurlers exiting the championship at the earliest possible stage.
Niall Carew’s charges suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of Longford in the Leinster Senior Football Championship while Westmeath dumped Carlow out of the Joe McDonagh Cup when they secured a crucial victory at Netwatch Cullen Park in the second round.
Despite the disappointing seasons for both sides, Carlow GAA chairman Jim Bolger believes that the respective management set-ups “need time” in order for the teams to develop.
Speaking to KCLR’s Sunday Scoreline, Bolger said: “We need to give the management teams a little bit of breathing space and time to implement their style.
“We have to look at it in a holistic way not just concentrating on results. Developing players is more important than the results from my point of view and the managers need time to develop those players.”
Bolger pinpointed an area in which the county sides can improve when he highlighted the coaching structures currently in place across the clubs.
“We need a reality check. We need to look at the quality of our club coaches and if there’s a gap there, we’ll help in any way we can. That’s key if you want to develop players,” said Bolger.
Some good news coming out of Carlow GAA recently was the success of the Barrowside Challenge that raised over €80,000 for clubs across the county. Bolger said that the money is welcome considering the restrictions on fundraising due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The timing of the Barrowside Challenge wasn’t ideal but there was no way for clubs to raise funds even though the bills are still there.
“We’re very grateful to everyone who helped us with the Barrowside Challenge. We also have the club development draw coming up which is another avenue for clubs to raise money.”
