Looney almost resigned to no football for 2020

DR CROKES footballer Brian Looney is becoming more resigned to the possibility that there will not be a return to Gaelic football in 2020 as the country begins to re-open during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Even though the Government’s roadmap to recovery includes a possible return to GAA action from Phase Four on July 20, Looney (33) feels that GAA President John Horan was correct to pour cold water on that possible return last week.

“John Horan is saying that, while there is social distancing, there will be no football. I think that he is right,” Looney told The Kerryman. “We are mad to get back (playing), but even if you stop twenty fellas from being in a dressing room together, there is always going to be close contact between thirty of us out on the field.

“We have to go by what the experts are saying. We might be in a completely different place in two months time. Social distancing right now, compared to social distancing in two months time? It could have completely changed. To be honest, though, I am finding in increasingly hard to see any football being played for the rest of this year.”

Looney was one of 3,000 club players who took part in a survey by the Club Players Association over the last week. The poll found that only 58% of those surveyed were keen on returning to training or playing with their clubs in the rest of 2020. Nearly 22% said no, while the remainder were unsure.

“Yeah, while I participated in it I have to say that I am a little bit on the fence. Based on the current circumstances, you could give one answer. Further down the line, in two months or whatever, you could give a different answer. I am in the category at this moment in time of not being sure what to do. Is it safe to go back right now? Probably not. That has to be taken into consideration.

“We all love the game, we want to play and because most of us players are young and healthy, there could be little implications for us personally if we were to pick up the virus. But there would be a possibility of spreading it to the people closest to you.

“That is the worrying thing about the whole situation at the moment. Of course, you feel it differently too when you’ve just had a new baby, and there are conflicting things being said about the virus’ effect on children. But the reality is that you would want her nowhere near it. At all costs,” Looney said.