‘DUBLIN MUST HIT THE ROAD’
GAA PRESIDENT Aogán Ó Fearghail has said that Dublin should be treated the same as any other county and if they are drawn away from Croke Park, that they should be prepared to play outside the capital. Offaly manager Pat Flanagan stirred debate last week by suggesting Dublin have an unfair advantage in playing all their games at headquarters and Ó Fearghail believes the county should face more games on the road in the Leinster SFC. ‘Dublin should be like any other county,’ said the association’s president at yesterday’s RTÉ launch of the Championship. ‘They should take the luck of the draw and play wherever the draw brings them. ‘I know that Dublin players would welcome that too and the supporters around the country do. I’ve seen Dublin in Clones, I’ve seen them in Longford, it’s been good for everybody. ‘As far as I am concerned, Dublin should be the exact same as Carlow and go wherever the draw takes them.’ The Cavan man also dismissed the notion that the Championship structures need to change, saying provincial competitions still drive most inter-county players. ‘People are very pleased with the provincial Championship. You won’t get unanimity on everything but there’s as close to it as you will get that every county likes to play in their provincial Championship. After that, there is debate and it’s a debate I am quite happy to facilitate. ‘Some people would like to see the qualifiers restructured. The important thing is the Championship structure is based on the provinces and that is very strong and I don’t see any mood or any appetite to change that particular aspect of the structures.’