GAA caught with their trousers down again
THE GAA never ceases to amaze me.
In this day and age, how could they leave themselves so wide open to this backlash?
They knew exactly who was in the draw. They could have flagged it prior to the Kildaremayo pairing emerging that there may be an issue.
But they didn’t.
Kildare have taken a strong stance. They’re 100 per cent right.
They’re adhering to the rules set out by the GAA – first team out plays at home, unless it’s a team from the bottom two divisions against one from the top two.
Kildare manager Cian O’neill came out on Monday and was emphatic about the game going ahead in Newbridge. The county board issued a strong statement along similar lines. For the sake of their own credibility, they must now carry that through. There can be no flinching, but that’s not to say there won’t be when push comes to shove.
Reading the comments of the GAA’S director of games Feargal Mcgill, there’s no doubt in his mind that the tie will be in Headquarters or nowhere.
“The game has been fixed for 7pm in Croke Park and that is not going to change under any circumstances,” he said.
Best of luck trying to find wriggle room in either side’s position.
But it’s great to see how the people of Kildare have rallied around their team, management and county board on this issue.
It might even galvanise people in the county who have fallen out of love with the team.
Earlier this year, I was at the League game in Newbridge between Kildare and Mayo, when the travelling support outnumbered the home crowd by about four to one.
It also has to be said that it reflects poorly on successive administrations in
Kildare that St Conleth’s Park is arguably not fit for purpose to hold big Championship games like this.
Kildare shouldn’t be in that situation given all the big days they’ve had over the past 25 years or so. But that’s an argument for a different day.
While I support the stance Kildare have taken, I believe county board chairman Ger Donnelly should have been front and centre rather than O’neill. That’s the job. O’neill’s is to manage the football team.
I’d imagine the pressure that will be brought to bear on the Kildare county board from the GAA hierarchy will be colossal.
O’neill said that “the players are the most important stakeholders here”. He’s absolutely right, but when I was playing, I never cared where a match was on and neither did my team-mates.
Given the choice, we’d play every game in Croke Park. And I believe the Kildare players will play anywhere too.
If we have a situation where Mayo are the only team on the field at Croke Park next Saturday evening and the ball is thrown in, does anyone really think it will change how the GAA goes about its business?
As it is, they get stick every day of the week anyway. They’ll dust themselves down and move on.
Ultimately, the only losers will be the Kildare players. The fans are jumping on this bandwagon but they haven’t been there when the team needed them of late.
The GAA has been caught with its trousers down, they’ve shown a lack of communication and foresight and it won’t be the last time.
Kildare cannot back down now. In the past they’ve been accused of wilting under pressure and if they do so again they will lose huge respect and credibility.
But folks, let me tell you – the game will take place.