Croke Park game planners feel O’Dwyer’s wrath

MICK O’DWYER yesterday proclaimed that it was unfair of Croke Park to expect Laois footballers to return to action just a week after competing in the NFL final.

Although O’Dwyer’s young team were well beaten by Tyrone last week, the legendary manager is angry that his team have only a week to rest their bruises and weary legs before returning to headquarters for a date with Wexford this Sunday.

Ironically, the game had originally be slated for May 5, the day of the league final.

“This game against Wexford is what we have been gearing for all year,” O’Dwyer said.

“It was meant to be on Sunday last, but I suppose when they were compiling the fixtures, they never thought Laois would reach a league final.

"They put it back a week, but it would have been better if they put it back two weeks, but that doesn’t matter now.”

With Sean Kelly sitting ten yards from him, the irrepressible Waterville genius admonished the GAA for another instance of poor planning.

Three of the four teams that clashed in last Sunday’s league finals will be out this weekend, while Tyrone will hit championship gear a week later.

“I do think that teams competing in national finals should get at least two weeks of a break after the final to recuperate.

"It will do no harm whatsoever. It’s not just ourselves that will be affected on Sunday, Limerick and Westmeath will find it difficult too,” said O’Dwyer.

“Coming out to play six days later does nobody any good. Last year, we [Kildare] lost the Leinster final by two points and a few days later, we had to come out and play Kerry and they beat us well.

"And that happened to a lot of teams in last year’s championship.”

That remains the burning issue of this new qualifier system.

How fair is it that a team is given only six days to rid themselves of the pain of defeat in their provincial championship before meeting a team that have been waiting in the wings for weeks?

Tom McGlinchy and his Tipperary team know the answer all too well: “Last year, against Mayo came only six days after Cork beat us. We were down to the bare 21, short of Brendan Cummins while Mayo were able to take James Nallen and Kieran

McDonald off the bench. But, they were a lot more well rested than us.”

Meanwhile, O’Dwyer was cutting a contented figure:. “Well, Sunday gave us the experience of being in a final and that was an experience not too many of our lads had.

"We should do okay this year. We won’t be creating any wonders, but we hope to do reasonably well this year. And last Sunday won’t do them any harm.

"They beat the All-Ireland champions and to do that at any stage, gives the team a bit of a lift.” O’Dwyer says that this promises to be another open All-Ireland race:.

"Seven or eight teams can win the All-Ireland. We have moved on from that crazy situation where, for 12 years, it was only two teams winning the All-Ireland; Kerry and Dublin.”

This point was also emphasised by Sean Kelly in his speech as he mentioned that nine teams have won Sam Maguire since 1990, while only four teams won the accolade in the 20 years previous to that.

However, when pushed to find a winner in the mix, O’Dwyer plumped for Galway, a prediction that was seconded by Tommy Carr.

As the microphone moved down the table, neither McGlinchy and Joe Kernan saw any reason to disagree with the legendary manager.

Bet John O’Mahony will be pleased.