Murphy speaks out on player welfare issue

KILDARE minor football manager Bryan Murphy has questioned how serious GAA officials are about player welfare after yesterday’s announcement that whoever emerges from the thrilling saga between his side and Dublin will be asked to play twice in five days by the Leinster Council.

The teams could not be separated in their quarter-final after 160 minutes and with the Leaving Cert now taking precedence, the second replay is fixed for June 29 in Navan.

Many of the players will have only completed their exams the previous week and so preparations will be affected, but even more demands will be placed on them as the winners are due to play Longford in the semi-final on July 3.

Leinster Council officials met on Monday night to finalise arrangements for the concluding stages of this year’s minor championship and took into account issues raised by counties in the minor football championship, Offaly and Dublin’s concerns over dual minor players, and a Wexford issue over venue for their minor hurling tie with Dublin.

“It’s a lot to ask of young lads,” said Murphy. “It throws up the whole issue of player welfare. When you think that they ban them from training together for three months from January to March because of the pressures they’re under and all the rest, and then when it comes to the championship, they want to run it off in a week, it makes you wonder.”

Apart from being asked to play twice in five days though, the winners have also been placed at a disadvantage in terms of Offaly or Laois having a longer recovery period before the final, with their semi-final fixed for June 30.

“We’ve a good bunch of lads and they’ll deal with it but there doesn’t appear to be a need for such a big rush, except that they don’t want to change the date of the Leinster final from July 11.

“It will be the same for both teams in the replay, there’ll be no advantage. But you’d be inclined to say that both semi-finals should be on the same day and it’s hard to understand why the winners of the other one will have an extra four days before the final.”

LEINSTER MINOR FIXTURES

Saturday June 26th: ESB Leinster MHC semi-finals: Dublin v Wexford, Parnell Park; Offaly v Kilkenny, Tullamore.

Tuesday June 29th: ESB Leinster MFC quarter-final replay: Dublin v Kildare, Navan.

Wednesday June 30th: ESB Leinster MFC semi-final: Offaly v Laois, Tullamore.

Saturday July 3rd: EBS Leinster MFC semi-final Longford v Kildare/Dublin, Pearse Park.

Sunday July 4th: ESB Leinster MHC final: Dublin/Wexford v Offaly/Kilkenny, Croke Park.

Sunday July 11th: ESB Leinster MFC final: Longford/Kildare/Dublin v Offaly/Laois, Croke Park.

NB: If Dublin qualify for MFC semi-final and MHC final, then their MFC semi-final will be played in Longford on Tuesday July 6th.