Michael Duignan is quite right - some of those making decisions in GAA need to grow a pair!

THE single biggest breakthrough in terms of bringing a change of culture in the GAA came from Offaly county board chairman Michael Duignan this week.

Duignan, an All-ireland hurling winner with his county, called out the association when he said, “It’s high time people in the GAA grew up and grew a pair”.

What prompted his strong comment was senior county teams resuming training before the September date scheduled by Croke Park, a trend that I have written strongly against here over the last couple of weeks.

Make no mistake, it was a watershed moment to have a county board chairman stare down Croke Park chiefs and call them out when they are doing the wrong thing. When have we seen such honesty, such bravery and such conviction from someone to stand up to the so-called powers that be?

We never see this kind of stance from a county board chairman – because more are predominantly yes men for Croke Park.

Chairmen have continually genuflected to Headquarters over the years and just gone along with the edicts that have flowed from there – and that’s a major problem for the association.

And there will be no real, substantive change to the status quo unless counties start electing chairmen of the ilk of Duignan.

Let’s now see how many of his fellow chairmen around the country ‘grow a pair’ and stand alongside Michael against something that is so blatantly wrong – county managers interfering with players at the very start of the clubs’ defined period in June and – and even earlier in some cases.

I will sit and argue this point with any manager. But there is no argument to be

Duignan went where no chairman has gone before in questioning the leadership of the GAA

had, in all honesty. It is a blatant abuse of power to take these players from their clubs at this time.

It is completely self-serving and totally disrespectful.

Duignan went where no chairman has gone before by questioning the lack of leadership shown by the GAA president (left) and the director general on this issue – and the hypocrisy that has been evident throughout the whole affair.

For me, yesterday’s announcement by Croke Park that they will fine or disqualify counties for training ahead of September 14 is nothing short of a token gesture.

It even makes the original stance on this issue more alarming in that it highlights how wrong GAA officialdom was. If Croke Park are serious and want to make amends for their original faux pas, there must be a very clear directive. Why have fines as a potential deterrent?

It should be a straight disqualification for the 2020 Championship because I know – and everyone knows – the avenues counties go to to get sanctions overturned.

Fines would be an insult and a joke to people’s intelligence. I wait to see which counties will be sanctioned with disqualification.

Anything less is irrelevant and fudges the issue. Isn’t it sad that it took a little bit of common sense to change the mindset because if nobody opened their mouth there wouldn’t be a word about it as county teams trained away?

The GAA have set themselves a very serious precedent with yesterday’s announcement.

Michael Duignan didn’t hold back on his comments about the GAA

LIVING in Mullingar, I take my hat off to Jack Cooney and John Maughan (left), the managers of Westmeath and Offaly respectively. These two men have been totally selfless, showing strong character and proper leadership by not putting themselves before their players. They haven’t forced their players to train in a county set-up and have shown they are bigger people than being all about personal gain. While no less ambitious than the next manager, they showed integrity. There’s no match for that sort of class.

PENALTIES to decide an All Ireland final? No, no, no! This possible scenario is the only serious reservation l have for what will be, in a nutshell, the most stupendous Christmas. Let’s tease this out. Why can’t we have a replay on the Wednesday before Christmas Day? Think about it. The buzz, the excitement would be palpable from the reduced crowd of 21,000 - or the maximum 42,000, if the two metre social distancing rule becomes one. Let Croke Park cover the players’ wages and expenses - they wouldn’t mind another game before Santa Claus comes to town. But imagine being the player who misses the penalty that costs his county the All-ireland title? It doesn’t bear thinking about.