Not easy to change 100-year tradition
As I wrote here two weeks ago, the attempt to do so after the hurling final was badly thought out, premature and ultimately had to be ditched with Plan B coming into action.
Nobody questions the motivation behind the move – health & safety considerations – but you don’t change a 100-year tradition overnight. If there are compelling grounds for such a change of culture, that has to be sold to people, not forced upon them. One of the reasons mentioned was to protect the players – an odd unsavoury incident has occurred – but I have spoken to a lot of players in the last two weeks and almost to a man they favoured the traditional system of the spectators coming on to the field. Perhaps, this is something the GPA could give the best view of. The public would respect the views of the players and it would be interesting if Dessie Farrell could survey all their members and get their views.
Last Sunday seemed to work fine. The stewards and gardaí formed a cordon in front of the Hogan Stand and the players and management were able to use this area, ensuring any crush was avoided. As I suggested two weeks ago planning to let the crowd onto the field in an orderly fashion was much better than trying to keep them off, commando style. Incidentally, it was a nice gesture by the Cork players who despite their devastation, remained on the field to applaud Kerry. Rivalry goes deep between these southern stars but sportsmanship and mutual respect runs deeper.
