What justice is their for aggrieved clubs?
BILLED as Sligo GAA’s version of Super Sunday, this Sunday’s final round of group games in the Homeland
Senior Football Championship and the Connacht Gold Intermediate Football Championship will complete the semi-final line-up in each competition as well as confirming what clubs are destined for the relegation play-offs.
In the top tier, two semi-finalists are already known, St Mary’s and Tourlestrane, who have won Group One and Group Two respectively.
Either Shamrock Gaels or Calry-St Joseph’s – who meet at Markievicz Park, 3.30pm – will emerge from Group Two alongside St Mary’s and take on Tourlestrane in the county semi-final.
St Mary’s opponents in the last four are likely to be Drumcliffe-Rosses
Point but Group Two could have one last twist.
Last year’s finalists CooleraStrandhill need a massive win against Coolaney-Mullinabreena – venue to be confirmed – in order to overturn the 26 points score difference advantage that Drumcliffe-Rosses Point currently hold.
Coolera-Strandhill also need Drumcliffe-Rosses Point to lose (and by a substantial amount) to holders Tourlestrane at Markievicz Park (1pm).
It could get worse for CooleraStrandhill – who failed to win their last two group games – because a loss to Coolaney-Mullinabreena would put them into the relegation play-offs. In the Connacht Gold Intermediate Football Championship, three of the four semi-finalists are already known. Group One winners Easkey will play either St Patrick’s or Eastern Harps from Group Two – last year’s Junior ‘A’ champions St Patrick’s face Eastern Harps in a win-or-bust tie at Cloonacool Community Park (3pm).
The other Intermediate semi-final will involve Group Two winners St Molaise Gaels and Bunninadden, who finished second in Group One. SENIOR
SEMI-FINALISTS: St Mary’s, Shamrock Gaels or Calry-St Joseph’s RELEGATION PLAY-OFFS: Curry and Tubbercurry
SEMI-FINALISTS: Tourlestrane, Drumcliffe-Rosses Point or CooleraStrandhill
RELEGATION PLAY-OFFS: St Farnan’s, Coolaney-Mullinabreena or CooleraStrandhill INTERMEDIATE
SEMI-FINALISTS: St Molaise Gaels, St Patrick’s or Eastern Harps RELEGATION PLAY-OFFS: Ballymote, Geevagh or Eastern Harps
SEMI-FINALISTS: Easkey, Bunninadden RELEGATION PLAY-OFFS: St John’s, Enniscrone-Kilglass or Castleconnor
JUNIOR ‘A’
SEMI-FINALS: Cloonacool v Shamrock Gaels; Owenmore Gaels v St Molaise Gaels
RELEGATION FINAL: Tourlestrane v Curry
JUNIOR ‘B’
QUARTER-FINALS: Tubbercurry v St Mary’s; St Patrick’s v Owenmore Gaels; Calry-St Joseph’s v Coolera-Strandhill; Eastern Harps v Drumcliffe-Rosses Point
COLLOONEY’S Connolly Park is one of the county’s best venues, given its pitch, facilities (including a stand) and location.
Indeed, it would have been an ideal setting for a Centre of Excellence. It is understandable that clubs from throughout the county love playing there.
It is a huge shame, therefore, that Owenmore Gaels GAA Club have withdrawn the availability of Connolly Park from the pool of venues available to Sligo GAA’s Competitions Control Committee for the remainder of the club championship.
Owenmore Gaels are entitled to close the gates when the CCC come calling. The club, when contacted, delined to comment on the situation. That’s their right, too.
I’ve heard – from several sources – that Owenmore Gaels are aggrieved. Their stance on Connolly Park is allegedly because of injustices and issues with Sligo GAA County Board. Mention injustices in the world we live in today and there are too many. There’s the Climate Crisis, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the potential for a major famine in the Horn of Africa.
What about the cost of living crisis we’re experiencing? Rising energy costs. The severe shortage of affordable housing. Ineffective politicians. Then you’ve got the ongoing battle for human rights, the rights of women and trans people, the rights of minorities and the marginalised.
Given the above list – and that’s only the tip of a slowly melting iceberg of world pain – I wonder where Owenmore Gaels and their issues fit in. Just what could their concerns be? Let’s suppose they are unhappy with the standard of refereeing in Sligo and maybe the displays of certain referees. They could have a point. In Sligo, there are outstanding referees, very good referees and referees.
But unless a club gathers footage of games and compiles detailed video analysis of decisions made/not made, with expert opinion from referee assessors, it can be quite difficult to prove just how good – or how bad – a referee actually is.
Maybe, just maybe, Owenmore Gaels, whose adult men’s team have qualified for the Connacht Gold Junior ‘A’ Football Championship semi-final, are railing against all the results that have never gone their way.
I feel partially responsible for this. Back in 1993 I played on an Easkey team that defeated Owenmore Gaels in the Sligo Minor ‘B’ Football Championship final.
What needs to be done in order for Owenmore Gaels to feel justice is being served?
Do they want leading referee Barry Judge to officiate all their games from now on and to have Markievicz Park as the setting for their fixtures (when Connolly Park isn’t available, that is)? Still, it is in their remit to be angry if they perceive that their concerns aren’t being considered.
GAELS GEAR: Owenmore Gaels jerseys on the Markievicz Park pitch prior to them being handed to their players prior to the 2020 Sligo Junior ‘A’ Football Championship decider against Tourlestrane.
The County Board is there to facilitate clubs, not hamper them, so there should be high-profile individuals or committees to listen to Owenmore Gaels.
But what club in Sligo doesn’t have a grievance?
If every club closed their pitch because of wrongs they have felt have been done to them then there would be no neutral venues available to host championship games.
I will miss Connolly Park. It is a hop and a skip out the road (from my Sligo town base) and there’s always shelter from the rain. Hopefully this messy state of affairs will get sorted out. And soon.
Hopefully we can get to live in a better world where the problems of many, as well as those of Owenmore Gaels, are resolved.
FAI WHEN news broke last Wednesday afternoon that the a Disciplinary Control Unit has punished Sligo Rovers for fielding suspended player – Adam McDonnell – in the SSE Airtricity League Division game against Dundalk, one of my friends sent me WPremier a WhatsApp message. that This guy, who is occasionally cynical, didn’t mention the fact instead Rovers’ 2-0 victory against Dundalk had now been expunged and follows: given to the Louth club as a 3-0 win. His succinct message was as emojis). Was that in Rovers’ masterplan? (Followed by several laughing
WI wasn’t laughing back – and neither were Rovers – as being trimmed dream of these three points could signal the end of the already fading qualifying for Europe next year. masterplan A club has to look ahead with ambition and Rovers’ development on to upgrade The Showgrounds, at a cost of €17 million, depends Europa many factors, including regular tasting of UEFA’s honeypot (i.e. Conference League qualifying rounds).
Rovers I don’t buy the theory that the recent episode was an own goal by them. and that the monitoring of yellow cards/suspensions is all on their There could be a degree of fault with the FAI. What could explain for Adam weekly email to the media that failed to mention a suspension
FAI, they McDonnell for that Dundalk fixture – although to be fair to the contact clubs seperately re suspensions, sanctions etc. an app be developed whereby referees input certain details, inCan’t including bookings, after each game, and then clubs, who would also use this app, would get instant alerts re upcoming suspensions?