Anthony Daly: Why are Clare paying the price for Wexford Covid cases?

Clare and Wexford players contest a loose ball during the Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group B game at Cusack Park. Picture: Bryan Keane

In a Sunday Times article in March, medical experts revealed that not a single case of on-the-field transmission of the Covid-19 virus had been confirmed in football, rugby union, rugby league or American football during a full year of the pandemic.

Detailed tracing of players who had tested positive for the virus was carried out in all the sports but in every case the transmission was put down to off-the-field contact, such as in meeting rooms, cars, and indoor activities.

In the context of those findings, and particularly when there has been no case of on-field transmission at any level of field sports in Ireland, it’s absolutely bizarre that the HSE identified as close contacts two members of the Clare team who marked the Wexford players last weekend, obliging them to undertake tests and restrict their movements for two weeks.

No Wexford players were considered close contacts, while both Clare players were stood down from yesterday’s game against Laois as a precaution.

Not considering any Wexford players as close contacts was all the stranger again with the risk involved when a large group had stayed in a hotel overnight before the game. It certainly wasn’t a surprise when Wexford were hit by another positive case of Covid-19, which resulted in the postponement of Sunday's game against Kilkenny.

Before that game eight days ago, I saw the Wexford players gathered in a tight huddle. At the last water-break, Davy Fitzgerald gathered all of his players around him in a circle to issue instructions. One of the Wexford players who tested positive was in that huddle. So, if the guys right beside him weren’t considered close contacts, how in the name of God was the Clare fella he was marking deemed a close contact?

How did this come about? Who named the two Clare players? The official word which came out of Clare on Friday was that Wexford had identified the two Clare players as close contacts. The Wexford chairman Micheal Martin insisted in the Irish Independent that Wexford didn’t. Martin claimed that “it’s neither for Wexford GAA or any unit of the GAA to name anyone as close contacts. We have only been in contact with our own relevant public health”.

How does that make sense? Did someone in the HSE just pick up the paper and write down the names of the two Clare lads who were marking the Wexford players who tested positive? With the way the game has gone now, does anyone have any clue who is marking who?

With the current match-day restrictions, backroom teams are supposed to be limited to 12, plus two county board officials. Last Sunday, I reckon Wexford had close to 20 members in their backroom team. I know because I counted them.

I was comparing those numbers to Clare’s, who looked to have just the 12. How did those extra Wexford bodies get clearance?

Capping the backroom team at 12 is difficult for management teams. An extra three bodies – especially in an empty stadium – would make a huge difference, but you still have to draw the line somewhere.

I was thinking after last Sunday that getting extra people in – especially when they aren’t supposed to be in the ground in the first place – was risky business for Wexford in the event of there being a positive case in the group, especially in terms of contact tracing.

But when two of their players tested positive, the next thing that happens is that two Clare players are identified as close contacts.

The two Clare lads’ tests came back negative, which was no surprise, but their lives have been thrown up in a heap for two weeks now through absolutely no fault of their own.

That’s just not acceptable, and serious questions remain to be answered.

Again, I seem to be talking more about stuff off or around the pitch, but the weekend threw up enough good stuff on it. It could be easy to say that the main talking point is Limerick’s stuttering form and inconsistency, but I don’t think John Kiely will be too concerned.

Limerick manager John Kiely walks the pitch before the defeat to Waterford. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

In injury-time, Kiely brought on Aaron Costello for Dan Morrissey, which to me, suggested John was more concerned with getting game-time into guys than chasing a result. Plenty of new or peripheral Limerick players saw action – Conor Boylan, Costello, Robbie Hanley, Mark Quinlan, Josh Considine, Cathal O’Neill.

Ending up with 13 men underlines a crankiness that was also evident against Galway but the main caveat for Limerick is that some of their main men, especially Tom Morrissey, Aaron Gillane and Cian Lynch, haven’t really caught fire yet. There was a lot to like about Cian yesterday in how he put himself about but he’s still looking for that spark to ignite.

The way in which Waterford fronted up to them underlines how much of a target Limerick have on their back anytime they play now but the one thing about being All-Ireland champions is that there is a real trust there that you can get it right when it matters. I still think Limerick are the best team in the country but they just need to relax more and let it flow.

Waterford have nearly been the forgotten team in recent weeks but there was a real edge to their display, which surely stemmed from their desire to lay down a marker against a team that beat them three times last year.

Conor Prunty was outstanding on Gillane. I liked the look of Austin Gleeson at centre-back. Waterford have enough good players up front to facilitate Aussie’s deployment as the defensive pivot. It’s even less of a gamble considering his playmaking and scoring potential from deep.

I thought the Galway-Tipp game on Saturday was the best league match so far. After having such a positive start, the Galway management clearly went to shake up the side with huge experimentation. It didn’t produce a result but Galway still look in a really good place.

So do Tipp. The loss of Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher diluted some of those good vibes from their first win of the campaign but some of Tipp’s main men were really sharp, especially Noel McGrath and ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer. Their two corner-backs – Cathal Barrett and Barry Heffernan – are in super form. Seamus Kennedy has nailed down number 6. Ronan Maher was outstanding at wing-back.

Paddy Caddell had a fine game. Barry Hogan was really solid again in goal, making a great save from Kevin Cooney. Jason Forde is doing stuff he wasn’t doing two years ago. Michael Breen had another big impact off the bench. Seamie Callanan is still to come back.

Yesterday’s win against Laois was welcome for Clare having already suffered two defeats, but particularly in light of what went on last week. Scoring 2-27 was all the more impressive again considering Clare were without Tony Kelly. Shane O’Donnell was brilliant, scoring a goal and setting up another for Mark Rodgers. Clare hit 2-27, despite hitting 20 wides.

I watched Dublin and Antrim on Saturday and I thought Antrim looked like a team struggling to physically adjust to this Division. Westmeath were in Division 1 last year but the momentum they built up with their performance against Waterford was ruthlessly extinguished by Cork, who again showed an impressive lust for green flags.

After three rounds of the league, there are always more answers than questions at this stage of the competition. Form and consistency are starting to develop. New players are either putting their hand up or down. Formations are becoming clearer.

But the biggest questions that need to be answered now have nothing to do with on-field performance levels. Because Wexford need to start providing serious answers to the multiple questions coming at them.