Lessons must be learned from the semi-final fallout

The controversy over the forfeited Mid Kerry SFC semi-final has left a bitter taste so lessons must be learned from it and applied says Jason O’Connor

TOMORROW night (Thursday) the Mid Kerry Board will convene for its AGM and interestingly enough, considering recent events, it meets in Cromane and does so under a cloud that has sadly tainted their premier competition.

To the victor go the spoils, as the often used phrase goes. The record books will forever show Glenbeigh / Glencar as the official winners of the 2011 competition and have no record of the events of the semi-finals, but the case of the Laune Rangers and Cromane re-fixture debacle is one that should never be forgotten and indeed one that lessons should be learnt from.

The whole affair asks serious questions of the decision-making process within the district and the degree to which all the stakeholders are truly involved in that process.

The major question will fundamentally boil down to the Mid Kerry Competitions Control Committee’s (CCC) reasons for re-fixing the semi-final from Cromane to Beaufort and their failure to clearly articulate these reasons not just to the clubs involved but to the entire District Board and, indeed, the general public.

If, as we are led to believe, the CCC had concerns about the safety of the Cromane venue why were steps not taken, in the first instance, to ensure that the venue could be made satisfactory to the requirements of the CCC before any outright switch of venue was decided upon?

The events of the St Stephen’s Day semi-final, which was abandoned because of the unfortunate injury to Cromane player Johnny O’sullivan, have been well documented at this stage. The delay in getting an ambulance there was, it would appear, a big concern for the Mid Kerry CCC, which is understandable, but which requires a bit of a context. It was a public holiday during the festive season and understandably resources are going to be a bit stretched on such a day. If the game took place on a non-bank Holiday weekend it’s unlikely there would have been as long a delay as there was on December 26.

The second reason, again it would appear, was the fracas that occurred during the match between the two sides and particularly the individuals involved in the brawl. Emotions are always high in District Championship matches, perhaps more so in this instance where two teams from the one parish are competing, so surely the CCC should have taken some steps in advance to ensure the game was adequately stewarded.

A pre-arranged ambulance on site, as well as neutral stewards on duty for the second match, were surely two basic conditions the CCC could have made of the Cromane club in agreeing to grant them the right to host the re-fixture.

The other key issue is Laune Rangers’ feelings on the matter. Had they any concerns about the events of St Stephen’s Day one could maybe understand the switch to Beaufort, but as they have publically stated Laune Rangers had no issue whatsoever with Cromane as a venue. The Killorglin club were fully under the assumption that they would be going back to Cromane for the re-fixture so it does seem a bit incredulous that a CCC would go against two teams who were agreed on a venue for the match, particularly after the highly charged events in the first match.

All of which leads to the consultation process – or lack thereof – for the re-fixture. Standard procedure would be that the CCC names the date, venue and time for a match and both teams are bound to that. However, in this particular case surely both clubs could have been canvassed for their opinion. If there was consensus between the clubs on a venue then great. If there was disagreement then, and only then, would the CCC act as the final arbiter.

What appears to have happened was a decision to ignore both clubs and fix a neutral venue that neither had any great desire to travel to.

The ‘home and away’ agreement used by most of the Mid Kerry clubs in the Championship was totally undermined by the CCC’S decision to play the game in Beaufort (It should be emphasised that there is no aspersion being cast on the Beaufort pitch or its members here; the same would be true if the game was re-fixed for Milltown, Glenbeigh, Keel or, even Croke Park, for that matter).

When Cromane refused to travel to Beaufort, protocol meant the Mid Kerry CCC had to award the game to Laune Rangers, but the Board’s failure to come out in the past ten days and properly explain their actions has left a lot to be desired. If they thought the public and the media would accept the situation as a quid pro quo they were seriously naïve, and their silence has allowed Cromane and Laune Rangers to dominate the discourse that has ensued.

After the Mid Kerry Board’s decision it was very hard for Laune Rangers to do anything other than play last Saturday’s final but it must be said that they behaved very nobly throughout the whole saga and were more than gracious in their pronouncements that the whole matter be settled on the pitch.

Some might argue that Cromane threw away a great chance to reach their first every Mid Kerry senior final, but in sticking to their principles in this instance they have perhaps shown up a serious administrative failing at Mid Kerry board level. The hope must surely be that their protest and sacrifice on this occasion ensures such a travesty doesn’t befall them, or any other club, in the district ever again.

The issue is sure get a strong airing at tomorrow’s night AGM and, hopefully, the incoming executive will learn from this whole controversy and ensure a repeat of such a scenario is avoided at all costs in the future.