Meath minor board chairman Brendan Dempsey has claimed that some underage coaches in the county are using their positions to scout for talent to bring to other codes.

The Trim man, who served as county board chairman in 2006 and '07, asks in his report to next Sunday's annual convention at the Simonstown Gaels complex: "Are clubs only interested in winning competitions or do they want to improve the skill levels of those players who want to play our games exclusively?"

"How many mentors has your club/team involved with underage teams in those other codes? It could be said that some of them are solely there to spot talent for the other codes. Are clubs/teams vetting these mentors?

"Why do all our genuine Gaelic players have to wait for these superstars to be available to play games and then they are left warming the bench? Would scarce club resources not be better used to try to improve the skills of these players who want to play only Gaelic games?"

Dempsey also calls on Meath GAA to stop complaining about the pulling power of rival codes and work towards making Gaelic games more attractive to young players.

"We need to take the initiative and stop moaning about the other codes. That is the easy way out, we have to be proactive and not reactive. A properly structured games schedule is a start. I hope our clubs did not invest in floodlighting to hand over prime times on Saturdays and Sundays to soccer and rugby," he continued. Tweet

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