BOYLAN TALKS SPORT: Is there an antidote to inequality in sport?

At the very start here, to be clear, reference is not being made to gender related matters. Rather to the lopsided nature of so-called competition which prevails in some sporting arenas. With some entities having grips so enduring and seemingly impenetrable they make a vice grips resemble a velvet rope.

Take, for example, Slaughtneil recording their 12th consecutive Derry SHC success recently, or Ballygunnar in Waterford garnering the Waterford equivalent for the 11th straight season and, no later than Sunday last, the Waterford kingpins qualified for a seventh provincial Club Championship final on the spin.

To look at the same theme from a different angle, Ratoath’s elimination from Leinster Club IHC on Saturday last means that, with the admirable exception of redoubtable Dunsany, Meath’s representation at provincial club level has been extinguished for another year.

Aside from the ongoing procrastinating and excuse making with regard to the desperately needed upgrading of Pairc Tailteann, nothing currently grinds my gears more than the shortcomings of teams from the county have had exposed when going on to represent the Royal County at the next level.

And yes, before you say it, I know that - with the exception of our history-making Lady footballers - my own club have had as miserable luck - if not even worse - when going out into the province.

As part of research for this piece and a larger scale project one has simmering upstairs, a cursory examination of the fortunes of Meath teams in the Leinster Club SFC in the 32 years since St Peter’s Dunboyne were promoted to the top table makes for sobering reading.

In that time, Skryne, Seneschalstown, Dunderry, Navan O’Mahonys, St Peter’s, Dunboyne, Summerhill, Blackhall Gaels, Wolfe Tones, Simonstown Gaels, Ratoath and Dunshaughlin have been beaten by clubs from practically every county in the province. Some several times over.

Now, it must be acknowledged that Conor O’Donoghue and his committee have seemingly come up with up to 15 new proposals presumably aimed at improving the quality of football at local level. But, knowing how GAA ‘politics’ work, there’s no guarantee all or indeed any of them will meet with approval.

Personally, I feel, drastic as it may sound, the problem lies with how young players are being ‘produced’. Meaning, as a result of paralysis by analysis, are younger players' natural abilities being stifled by indoctrination in the mortal perils of giving away the ball?

This column has previously pointed out that just because a particular team utilises a particular methodology and is successful therewith, it doesn’t mean the rest must follow suit dutifully like sheep going out a gap.

Though they invariably do. The ironic thing is, for all the talk of systems and patterns of play etc, if they had only looked at the greatest team to ever play the game - Dublin in the Jim Gavin era - their elegance lay in their simplicity.

Granted, it must be acknowledged that Meath’s underage teams have seen their stock rise considerably in the last decade or so, but time and tide have proven that one leg of a machine being restored to its former glorious self doesn’t mean the entire mechanism will immediately return to peak production.

In no way am I purporting to have a silver bullet solution to alleviating the county’s ailments at provincial club level, but, I am genuinely interested in and determined to engage in what might be termed a research project - partly to keep the computer upstairs occupied but also towards the betterment of Meath football and the county’s performance at provincial level with regard to club competitions in particular.

If anybody has any suggestions in that whole subject area or would like to get involved with such a project please do not hesitate to make contact through any of the Boylan Talks Sport social media channels.

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On another sporting front, you could say there’s a similar requirement for research and remedial action, though, investigating it and coming to a workable solution may be a lot easier said than done.

Reference is of course being made to the old chestnut of a small number of trainers having a plethora of runners in valuable handicaps. It, for Irish racing is as big an issue as small field sizes are across the water.

Before going a yard further, please note that the following is not any of dig at Gordon Elliott - the Summerhill man is as good a practitioner of his craft as the sport has seen and is, aside from that, an absolute gent who does more for other sporting organisations and causes than ever hits the public domain. Ditto his great friend and benefactor Noel Moran.

That said, Gordon’s annexation of a seventh Troytown Chase success on Sunday last - in which he ran nine horses - is a truly astounding achievement when one considers he only really came to peoples notice in 2007 as a trainer. But, I suppose, the question does arise as to whether the trainer should be permitted to have so many representatives in a given contest is the elephant room. But, as to how you corral the said beast? Answers on the back of an election leaflet please!