Dubs to start off in Wexford or Portlaoise

WEXFORD PARK or Portlaoise will be the first pit-stop for Jim Gavin’s Dublin on their drive for five, the Leinster Council chairman Jim Bolger confirmed yesterday. Wexford play Louth in the Leinster SFC preliminary round, with the winners meeting the All-Ireland champions. If Wexford win, they get to play Dublin at Wexford Park but should Louth win, Dublin will travel to Portlaoise as there is currently no venue in the Wee County able to accommodate the travelling support. Wexford Park has been deemed one of the four provincial venues deemed suitable for hosting Dublin’s Championship games by the Leinster Council. The others are O’Connor Park, Tullamore, Portlaoise and Nowlan Park. ‘When we took Dublin out of Croke Park a few years ago, we took them to Nowlan Park,’ Bolger said. ‘Since then, aside from Croke Park, we have identified Wexford Park, Portlaoise, Tullamore and Nowlan Park as the four venues that could hold the expected fan numbers for a Dublin game and that has worked well for us. ‘If it is Wexford that play Dublin next summer, it will be in Wexford Park. If it is Louth, it will be in Portlaoise,’ Bolger said, although he added he hoped that more provincial venues will be up to the standard in the future where they could take a Dublin game. Given the controversy swirling around the Central Council decision to keep Dublin in Croke Park for two of their Super 8 games next summer, it would seem feasible that one of those four provincial venues could host their Super 8 game that is supposed to be at a neutral venue. Bolger side-stepped that issue, though. ‘I am just concerned, at present, with Leinster. We have to be real here about whether Parnell Park is suitable as home venue for Dublin and with their fanbase, you have to be fair to everybody.’ Meanwhile, Bolger admitted that there are genuine concerns among some counties about the form that the second tier football championship will take. ‘There is a question of space and exposure. I am sure the football counties will have looked at the Joe McDonagh Cup which is a very good competition, great standard and very evenly-matched teams. But because the hurling championship proper took up a lot of media space, and television time, there was little exposure. There are a lot of challenges.’