The wrong Croker proposal was brought

WE don’t know Dublin GAA CEO John Costello, if we met him on the street we wouldn’t recognise him, but we will say this much for the guy: he has chutzpah. How else could he turn a call for basic fairness on its head so thoroughly?

Donegal’s motion to deny the Dubs two home games in the Super 8s was, according to Mr Costello, “divisive and mean-spirited”. Yip there you have it, fairness is meanness.

Now in fairness – there’s that word again – to Mr Costello it’s not his job to ensure the fairness or the integrity of the GAA’s premier inter-county football competition, it’s his job to jealously guard Dublin’s prerogatives and, going by all available evidence, he does so rather brilliantly.

John Costello didn’t fail the Association at the weekend, the top table did. They were self-evidently eager to ensure Dublin remained in situ in Croke Park, seemingly fearful that they might lose a valuable revenue stream.

There are times, however, when principle is more important than expediency and when the integrity of the All Ireland senior football championship is at stake principle must be the overriding factor.

Instead of letting the Donegal motion whither on the vine the top table should have helped amend it before it got to Congress or brought a motion of their own through Central Council to correct this glaring unfairness.

Donegal’s motion sought to skin the cat the wrong way around in our view. Let Dublin play their home game wherever they want, let them nominate Croke Park, just tweak the rules so as that the neutral round is played at a provincial venue for all participating counties.

For one thing it solves the Dublin issue simply and efficiently and without being seen to target them quite so openly and for another Croke Park has lost its lustre for most fans and, probably, players too – no Kerry or Galway player could have enjoyed playing in a morgue-like Croke Park last year.

It’s maddening that this issue remains unaddressed. It can’t stand and it won’t stand, the Croke Park brass will realise this sooner rather than later. It’s just a shame they’re going to have to be carried there kicking and screaming.