WICKLOW stalwart Dean Healy believes the GAA product in the county “is not fit for purpose” when compared to other sports. The St Patrick’s clubman, 33, made his senior debut under the late Mick O’Dwyer in 2011. He stepped away from the Garden County in June 2023 but returned ten months after his retirement. He kicked 1-2 as Oisín McConville’s men stunned Westmeath in the Leinster SFC opening round last year. But Healy has witnessed the rapid rise of rugby and soccer in his county and believes interest in Gaelic games has waned. He reckons other sports are more attractive to kids and he fears for Wicklow GAA if the trend continues. The versatile defender said: “Unfortunately, the product we’re selling to players and parents is not fit for purpose, in a sense. “I know in Wicklow town, we compete massively with rugby and soccer and at this moment in time, they just have a better product that they are selling to parents and players. “The current product we’re trying to sell . . . I see the nooks of this, it all comes back to grassroots. “I see it back in my own club and a lot of clubs around. “Across the GAA, I can’t speak for it. I just know within Wicklow we do have a lot of work to do in terms of actually trying to incentivise players and parents to stay the course in terms of development squads having a natural transition into minor and 20s and then that being a natural progression of going on to play senior football. “How you rectify that? It’s the million dollar question. “When I speak about product, I talk about club football as a whole, the standard, what supports are given to clubs, etc.” On the inter-county front, Wicklow missed out on promotion from Division 4 of the NFL by a point, finishing third. But the Garden men bounced back with a 2-23 to 1-20 extra-time win over Longford in the first round of the Leinster SFC last weekend. Healy fired 0-3 to set up Sunday’s quarter-final clash with Dublin in Aughrim. McConville’s men are huge underdogs as the Sky Blues are chasing their 15th Delaney Cup in a row. Healy hailed Armagh 2002 All-Ireland and seven-time Ulster SFC winner McConville for the impact he has made since taking charge in 2022. And he believes senior standards have risen despite the struggle to compete with other sports at underage level. Healy revealed: “He brought a breath of fresh air and he obviously played football at a significantly high level. “He was one of the first managers that I’ve come across that actually seeks feedback and puts in actions on it as well. “A lot of managers, their approach would be that the model they have is fit for purpose and works, whereas Oisín was very much of the, ‘Let me know what’s working and let me know what’s not working’ and he’ll try his best to address it. “You’re looking at a footballer that has won an All-Ireland, a couple of Ulster Championships. “He himself as a footballer is held in so high a regard and as a manager, what he’s brought and the experience, I’m sure he’ll tell you himself, he’s continuously evolving and learning himself in terms of even the group that he has available to him. “So it’s all a learning curve for him as well, but I do think the positives that he has brought are massive.”