Every year, as the various club championships across the island whittle down to the few lucky remaining contestants, the GAA will distribute a list of fixtures to the media highlighting the major games set to take place in the coming days.
In recent weeks, what has been apparent is that a number of clubs have been appearing in more than one competition as the dual player, seemingly on life support for so long, has been showing more encouraging vitals.
Slaughtneil, so often the go-to example of it working, are at it again with their hurlers claiming a 13th straight county title last weekend – Brendan Rogers and Cormac O'Doherty having played in all - while their footballers, under new Antrim manager Mark Doran, face Newbridge on Sunday for a chance to make it to the final. Hurling half-forward Eunan Boylan, meanwhile, is chasing a Derry IFC crown with Glenullin.
Clare’s Éire Óg, fresh off a first hurling title in 35 years, are back at this weekend in the Banner football decider. Some 14 players are involved in both squads.
The Dunloy hurlers, winners of four of the last six Antrim hurling titles, suffered a shock semi-final loss to Loughgiel last weekend. Their footballers, however, can soften the blow if they beat Cargin in Sunday’s football final and win the Antrim SFC for the first time since 1936. A dozen players featured in both semi-finals.
Na Fianna and Ballyboden are already into the Dublin football final, and have hurling semi-finals this weekend to line up a possible double decider between the clubs.
Kildare’s Naas have a senior hurling title to chase this Sunday and a football crown to retain the following week, albeit with a small dual contingent. Ratoath are aiming to do their own senior double next door in Meath over the next two weeks, only in reverse order, and have a much larger crossover between the two panels.
Clubs in Wicklow (Carnew), Cork (St Finbarr’s) and Wexford (Naomh Éanna) all carried double ambitions late into the season while the exploits of Loughmore-Castleiney, who will play Holycross-Ballycahill in front of the RTÉ cameras on Saturday in the Tipp hurling final, need little explaining at this stage.
Dig into their stories and it’s clear that success doesn’t come down to having players capable in both codes, but rather a club’s ability to nurture that talent evenly across football and, in particular, hurling – often the poor relation in dual clubs.
One coach involved at the coal-face speaks of the 'helicopter view’ and how club administration have neither the knowhow – or, in some cases, the want – to get up into the clouds and look down on the overall picture to see what is good for both sides of the coin.
While players from the aforementioned Slaughtneil and Loughmore-Castleiney have spoken in the past of having sessions featuring both size fives and sliotars, such joined-up thinking will take time to chisel away at those old football-dominated habits.
"These clubs have a very supportive, collaborative culture, and we can learn from the Slaughtneils, the Loughmore-Castleineys," said the GAA's national player development lead Jack Cooney.
"It’s working in these places so let’s get in and see what the approach it, find out how it’s working.
"These are clubs that are winning regularly, getting very far in provincial competitions in both codes and sometimes beyond. I mean, does it get much better than that?"
Westmeath man Cooney is a couple of years into the role and one of the biggest projects he has been involved with is the launch of the GAA's 'Thrive Player Development Programme’.
This document aims to remodel how players are developed, with a focus very much on shaping the potential of players aged 12-23 rather than focussing exclusively on their current ability. Long term over short term.
For Cooney, one of the outcomes he hopes to see is a more understanding breeding ground for the dual player.
"There is no quick fix, no easy fix, I think what we have to do is understand the demands placed on dual players between club, school and county – and that’s before you even consider their involvement in other sports.
"That’s a lot of multiple environments, a lot of people trying to get the best from that player, demanding the best, which can be difficult for the player and challenging for the coaches.
"A big part of ‘Thrive’ is to try and develop almost a shared mental model, that collaboration and communication across all those environments that serves the player well. It can be very difficult for a single code player, a bit more complex for a dual player.
"Ultimately we need to step back and we need to support that player’s ambition to play whatever sport they want.
"Our philosophy would certainly be to put the support systems in place to allow them to play both codes.
"Is it possible to try and support the dual player from a much younger age? Is it possible to support the adult dual player more at club senior level? Let’s exhaust every option to make sure we do."
One of those options is the basic of getting more hurling into different parts of the country.
Over the course of late 2024 and early ‘25, the GAA established 45 new hurling clubs, the majority of them in places that had been exclusively football until that point. And in all likelihood, will continue to prioritise football.
One of those new clubs was Silverbridge Harps, home of GAA President Jarlath Burns.
At their first underage training session in June, his son Jarly Óg came down to help.
The 2025 All-Star nominee is handy with the hurl, with a long association with the Craobh Rua club in nearby Camlough.
The chances of Burns appearing for Karl McKeegan’s Armagh hurlers next year are non-existent though; the chances of any Sam Maguire level player appearing for their county is basically non-existent.
While the dual clubs are showing that it can be done, the days of a Teddy McCarthy, Liam Currans or Brian McGilligan are over – and not coming back.
"Burn the hurls," the late Eamonn Coleman was rumoured to have shouted to McGilligan when he turned up for Derry football training still limping from a hurling match – and that was in a much more receptive era for the county dual player.
Ironically, it’s Derry that provided the last high-profile example of the dual inter-county player with Brendan Rogers and Chrissy McKaigue providing key roles in their 2017 Nickey Rackard campaign whilst also on football duty under Damian Barton.
Before that Keith Higgins hurled with Mayo whilst starring at national level for the footballers while Wicklow's Leighton Glynn was on double duty during the Mick O’Dwyer era. Back in 2023, Down’s Conor McCrickard was part of both Conor Laverty’s football and Ronan Sheehan’s hurling panels.
While such instances are ever-dwindling to the point of extinction, it’s clear that the dual club has found a way to not only survive, but flourish.
A look at the GAA’s fixture list confirms it.
Watch the Tipperary Hurling Championship semi-final, Loughmore-Castleiney v Holycross-Ballycahill, on Saturday from 4pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
