Navan would have been a better venue than Croker – Kilkenny

It’s left to Dublin stalwart Ciarán Kilkenny to pick over the bones of a long since dead rivalry and a Leinster Championship that feels as far away as it has ever been from being competitive.

Kilkenny met the media yesterday to promote the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin on August 24. And, perhaps following the lead from Sunday given by his manager, Dessie Farrell, he did not attempt to dress up their dismantling of Meath at Croke Park.

What could he say that wouldn’t come across as hollow? The All-Ireland champions got what they could out of it. Meath’s problems and the issues surrounding provincial structures are for someone else, in another place and another time.

“There were areas we can improve on, quite sloppy in the first half. A lot of turnovers from both teams, and then we were, I suppose, happy with elements of our performance in the second half and just happy to get the (championship) season up and running,” said the Castleknock man.

“And after the Derry game, (it was) good to get back. It’s a very condensed season and games are coming thick and fast and happy to get over the game, happy with the second half and looking forward to the next game.”

He did concede that the attendance for the last-eight clash was disappointing. Long gone are the days when Meath and Dublin was the game’s most enduring rivalry, when over 60,000 fans would pour into Croke Park to watch them go at it.

On Sunday, just north of 20,000 people went through the turnstiles at GAA HQ. Navan, Kilkenny says, would have been a better venue for the quarter-final. And he suggested that with the split season and the concession of not playing the All-Ireland final in September, the GAA has lost much in terms of promotion and tradition.

“As a player and probably collectively, it would have been a better atmosphere if the game was in Páirc Tailteann. And we would have loved if the game was there, just from an atmosphere point of view.

“I know Meath are a very proud footballing county with a serious tradition of playing football and I know they’ll be seriously disappointed with the performance they put in.

“I suppose I think, ya know, it’s challenging in a sense for both sides. They retained Division 2 status and it was a very competitive first half (on Sunday), but there definitely has to be something done in that regard.

“It went from a big attendance in Croke Park against Derry to (less than) 22,000 there and I don’t know what needs to be done, but I think we can do a lot more to promote the games.

“For me, being a school teacher and thinking of the bigger picture, I would prefer ... as players, you love that condensed season, playing games and getting more time with the club. But I think from a promotional point of view, the GAA, the September All Irelands were great with the schools (returning) around an All-Ireland final and everyone is back from holidays.

“I don’t know what needs to be done. I’m not a decision-maker in that regard. But I think there is more we can do to promote the games in that sense.”