One of the bad aspects of the lack of an off-season in the GAA is the need for some sections of the media to make a non-story a story and keep GAA in the headlines. It’s not a good thing usually when the association is making headlines off the field. Colm O’Rourke’s spat with the GPA is just the beginning, although a very mild one at that.

The good part about year-round GAA is the All-Ireland club championships in football and hurling and the way they wind to conclusions in their provinces. That can mean some cracking matches in front of the fire on TG4. It can also mean days out, watching hurling and football being played on pitches not fit for walking on, in weather not fit for being out in. We wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Like most of the annual and wonderful happenings in the GAA, they fell on this one by accident. The club championships are not even even 50 years old and it is really only since television and St Patrick’s Day finals in Croke Park that the competition has really taken off. At the beginning a number of counties were against the competition and didn’t support it. Whatever about being good enough to play in Croke Park in September, getting there in March is a much more realistic dream for GAA players.

The hurling competition started off with the usual suspects before the revolution set in. The first winners were Roscrea but they haven’t been back to a final since. Indeed Tipp’s last All-Ireland club success was in 1987 – a campaign I remember well because they beat my home club in a tight Munster final in the Gaelic Grounds.

In the first decade of the club championships, Cork giants Blackrock, Finbarrs and Glen Rovers would win seven out of eight titles. Then in 1980 the link between the club and county championships was firmly established when Galway’s Castlegar became the first Connacht team to win an All-Ireland. This was the year the Tribesmen finally won Liam McCarthy and the Connollys of Castlegar were a major part of that.

What has followed since has been magical and not at all in the GAA’s usual script. Antrim’s Loughiel have won two All-Irelands. The flaw in the ointment of course is the old system of provincial winners getting to semi-finals, something Galway naturally are not keen to change. Why would they? They top the leader board with 13 club hurling titles won, six of the last 10, and are perennial contenders.

The famed open draw, now only whispered in the corridors at Congress, would be perfect for this competition. Alas the necessity to run off the provincial finals before Christmas often leaving clubs with bogs to play on while spectators half freeze while watching. Talk of confining this season to one calendar year is highly ambitious unless club fixtures and county fixtures are fixed in stone.

The football club equivalent is another sought after cup. The roll of honour makes very interesting reading. Carlow clubs have won six Leinster titles (Éire Óg with five of those), while counties like Roscommon, Laois, Antrim, Derry, Wicklow and, yes, even Mayo have won All-Ireland football titles. This has turned out to be a very open competition. Despite the fact that reigning champions St Vincent’s (Dublin), Dr Crokes (Kerry) and Crossmaglen (Armagh) appear to be in the last four every year, clubs like St Brigid’s (Roscommon), Ballina (Mayo), St Gall’s (Antrim) and Baltinglass (Wicklow) to name just four have had fairytale a come true.

Every year there are multiple Hollywood-type storylines running through the club championships. They have become an integral and key part of the playing calendar and if anything they should be moved to a more amenable time of the year weather wise, not just so the competitions can be gotten out of the way.

This year’s storylines are in the early stages of production. Right now, Cratloe in Clare are the talking horse, being alive in both Munster club competitions and having a serious chance in each. Remarkably they haven’t lost a championship match in hurling or football this year and have never trailed at half-time in any game.

There is talk, all outside of Cratloe I must stress, of what to do if they reach both club finals in March because about 11 players start on both teams. With the dual player quite the hot potato these times, this Clare team are capable of winning both. But at the same time?

Thurles Sarsfields, Loughmore-Castleiney, Kilmallock and Sars (Cork) can all have something to say about that in the hurling, while Dr Crokes, Austin Stacks, Ballincollig, Ballylanders or The Nire still have a way in the Munster football.

The only potential problem at this time of the year is the dreaded draw and, on heavy pitches which can invite low-scoring contests, these are distinct possibilities. A backlog has already seen the Tipperary football champions unable to take their place in the Munster club competition. This Sunday, Semple Stadium hosts Loughmore and Thurles in a mouth-watering county hurling final but a result is needed as the following Sunday the winners travel to Clare to play the aforementioned Cratloe.

The Kerry county final was drawn on Sunday last and we still don’t know if Stacks or Crokes will represent the Kingdom in Munster, despite the fact that Crokes aren’t even in the final. Confused yet? Only club sides can represent counties in All-Ireland club competitions so amalgamations like Mid-Kerry, who drew with Stacks, cannot go on to compete in Munster. Kerry in this situation send their county champions through if they are a club and not a region. A separate championship for clubs only provides the green and gold standard bearer if they are needed and Crokes won this, so are standing by if Mid-Kerry win the Kerry replay.

Above in Connacht, their hurling championship is now being played out in a committee room – another off-season controversy we could do without. The club championship sometimes giveth, the GAA sometimes taketh away.