CLARINBRIDGE DEFENDER TJ Brennan says he was shocked at the public reaction to their controversial players’ charter which was leaked online last year.
The charter was condemned by some as being an extreme set of demands to place on amateur club players, including a drinking ban during the championship as well as a commitment to not participate in other sports such as golf, soccer and rugby.
The document also stated that players who wish to plan trips to America, Australia or Canada for the summer “can’t be part of the senior panel for 2024.”
Clarinbridge contested the Galway senior final in 2021, bowed out at the semi-final in 2022 and was eliminated at the quarter-final stage this year.
Brennan, who is also on the Galway and UL hurling panels, accepts that perhaps the players “went a bit too sternly” with some of the requirements listed in the charter but stresses that the spirit of their initiative was aimed at improving the standards of the team.
“I didn’t think it would get out at all in the first place and then when it did, I was shocked to see how far it went,” Brennan said.
“These things happen. Everyone’s human. It’s gone now, it’s water under the bridge and we move on.
“I think it was just to show ourselves really, that we’re focusing on hurling – it wasn’t to show anyone else. I’m not too sure about the golf.
“There probably would be a bit more give and take to be fair. We probably hadn’t put in a huge effort, we felt, ourselves, so we probably went a bit too sternly with it. It was very sternly alright, but in saying that, we were only trying to improve ourselves as well.”
Brennan is now in his fourth season on the Galway panel and is eager for a more settled spot in the team after banking some valuable game time under Henry Shefflin.
“We’ve fairly good established players in Galway,” he says. “It’s tough to get into the team but I’ve had a few starts and just didn’t hold onto them Hopefully this year, I’ll improve on that and make a case for myself.
“I’ll take anywhere I can get. Once I’m playing, I don’t really mind where I’m playing.”
TJ Brennan was speaking at Electric Ireland’s #FirstClassRivals campaign which celebrates the unexpected alliances that form between county rivals in the Higher Education Championships.
