Last call for Dubs as fans delay throw-in again

WE HAVE been down this road before, of Dubs supporters arriving late for a big match in Croke Park and forcing the starting time to be changed.

It happened again yesterday for the Leinster championship semi-final against Westmeath and who would bet against it happening for the final in three weeks’ time when the stadium is certain to be full.

The scheduled throw-in yesterday was for 2pm but it was close to 2.17 by the time the game got underway.

With less than half an hour to go to the official start, the stands looked deserted as big numbers of supporters took their time getting to the stadium.

But, to be fair to home followers who had terrace tickets for Hill 16, this section of the ground was filled to about 90% capacity around the same time.

However, for thousands who had tickets for the two main stands in particular, it was either a matter of enjoying the last few pints in the various hostelries in the vicinity of Croke Park or simply not being too pushed to arrive on time.

In the event, it was the Garda Síochána who took the decision to delay the start by 15 minutes. That decision was taken in the interest of crowd safety because of the huge queues which had been forming at the stiles.

A Leinster Council spokesman pointed out that they were merely informed by the Garda authorities that the game was being delayed.

Meanwhile, RTÉ, one of the GAA’s six championship sponsors were furious after it claimed that “over-officious stewarding” prevented RTÉ Radio’s OB (Outside Broadcast) technician from parking his car in a designated area inside the ground under the Hogan Stand. According to RTE sources, the technician had to leave his car in the nearby Canal car park, with the intention of carrying equipment up to the commentary position in the press box in two stages. The first involved bringing up the ISDN equipment for commentator Micheal Ó Muircheartaigh and his analyst former Dublin footballer Tommy Carr. However, when he attempted to go back to his car for the rest of his equipment, he was informed that he would not be allowed back into the stadium if he went outside.