Gaultier captain JJ Hutchinson believes that the senior football championship should start earlier in the year. The former Waterford attacker would like to see games played in better conditions during the summer months.
Hutchinson spoke to WLR Sport after Wednesday night's win over Brickey Rangers. "That was our first full game together since we played a challenge match back in June. We lost our hurlers for the month of July and into August, they needed their preparation time. It's something that needs to be looked at because the football clubs are suffering having to play on nights like this. The championship could be mixed together because us footballers are getting all the dirty weather. The hurlers are playing with the ball hopping into the hand. The way football is in the county, I think we deserve a little bit more respect. I'm a footballer, have been all my life. I just want to play in the best conditions. You can see the ground is starting to get soft and heavy. They could mix the championships up a bit where we play two weeks of hurling and then two weeks of football or something like that. I think it needs to change."
Hutchinson retired from the inter county game in 2019 after giving a decade of service to the Déise. He is worried about the direction Waterford football is heading in. "Something needs to be done or else we're going to get lost. I gave the majority of my adult life to Waterford and to Gaultier and to see that go by the wayside, I wouldn't be happy about it."
