CROKE PERK
Kilkenny brushes off criticism over Dubs’ ‘home advantage’ and says HQ is ‘hallowed turf’
If Mayo had new players coming in, we’d have seen them
CIARAN KILKENNY insists that the dice has not been loaded in favour of Dublin’s four-in-a-row chasers - despite accusations to the contrary.
Kilkenny will be a favourite for Player of the Year if the Dubs successfully negotiate a path through the upcoming Super Eights.
And he has defended the decision that Dublin will play two of their three fixtures in the new quarter-final series at Croke Park.
Addressing Donegal’s claim that the Dubs’ neutral fixture should be played somewhere else, the 24-yearold describes the Croker pitch as “sacred” and “hallowed” turf - a field of dreams when he was a kid.
“When you’re younger, kicking the ball, you dream of playing at Croke Park,” he stated.
“The fact that we play our National League games at Croke Park is to facilitate that all the boys and girls can go and see the games.
“The fact that there are 80,000 seats in Croke Park, essentially we rent it out during the National League.
“It’s great that we can give those boys and girls the opportunity to see their heroes from their local areas and clubs.
“That’s essentially why we play there in the National League. I love playing in Croke Park, but at the end of the day I just love playing Gaelic Football – wherever it may be.
“The next couple of weeks is something that a lot of players and supporters are really excited about.
“It’s about playing games week in, week out and we know that for the middle game we’ll be in Cork or Tyrone – to Pairc Ui Chaoiuh or Healy Park – and that’s exciting.”
Asked if other counties might not feel that Croke Park is a neutral venue for the Dubs – that it gives Jim Gavin’s (below) side a competitive advantage, Kilkenny replied it’s a fight that belongs at administrative level. “The last few games we lost where in Croke Park, when you think about it,” said the playmaker, who was injured when Dublin last lost there in the Championship in the 2014 All-ireland semi-final against Donegal.
“All that kind of administrative kind of stuff is done at a higher level and it’s just up to concentrate on our football and keeping fit and healthy.
“But we’re focusing on the football first and foremost and leave that stuff to everyone dealing with it in the background.”
Despite their huge success, Dublin have faced accusations that the game’s loaded in their favour with funding from Headquarters and massive sponsorship deals, along with rows over venues that could house the Dubs in championship fixtures.
“When I was growing up Dublin weren’t competing for Leinster and All-ireland titles,” Kilkenny responded.
“It comes down to really hard work at club level where the volunteers and it’s that hard work that has enabled us to compete at a high level.”