Croker chiefs planning to look into timing of televised clashes

GAA OFFICIALS will examine the timing of live championship matches once the current campaign is over after last-minute delays to a number of fixtures which were caused by delayed games and extra-time.

Kerry and Cork’s drawn meeting in Killarney a fortnight ago was pushed back due to an unexplained delay in restarting the second-half in the earlier Monaghan v Armagh game in Belfast on June 6.

The Laois and Dublin Leinster SHC fixture in Nowlan Park two weekends ago was also held up, much to the displeasure of Anthony Daly, after a preceding Kilkenny club league game went over its time slot.

A similar situation arose again last weekend when extra-time in the Laois v Meath tie at Croke Park, and the Cork v Kerry replay, saw Dublin’s clash with Wexford delayed by 15 minutes.

Pat Gilroy and Jason Ryan bemoaned the unforeseen postponement afterwards but it isn’t as easy as simply scheduling the second fixture 15 minutes later, according to Leinster Council chief executive Michael Delaney.

“It’s a difficult one because if games don’t go to extra-time then you could have a half-an-hour of a gap between the games. Then the TV people have too much time to fill and there are only so many ads you can sell.”

TV3 are screening the Dublin v Kilkenny and Cork v Limerick hurling ties live tomorrow but there is no provision for extra-time in provincial semi-finals or finals.

The GAA will count themselves fortunate for dropping the use of an additional two five-minute extra periods prior to last year’s championships due to the same concerns over the impacts on double headers and TV schedules.

The idea of playing extra-time at the first time of asking rather than settling for replays was introduced to ease the squeeze on club fixtures but Delaney accepts that the fundamentals of time added on will need looking at.

“I appreciate that it wasn’t the best situation for the Dublin and Wexford teams last Sunday,” he said.

“They are ready to come out and play their game and I would accept that it wasn’t ideal.

“I didn’t think the two managers made a big deal about it, to be fair, but it is something that we will probably have to review after the championship is finished. Maybe the extra-time thing will have to be looked at.”

Leinster Council chairman Seamus Howlin made much the same comment earlier in the week but Delaney pointed out that draws are still the exception to the rule in Gaelic football and hurling and that the high percentage witnessed so far this year is very much an anomaly.

Last summer, only two games finished level in the four provincial championships after 70 minutes. Four have finished all square already in 2010 with ten provincial fixtures still to be contested. Three of those ties are down for decision this weekend but much of the attention – in Leinster at least – will turn to hurling matters with the two provincial semi-finals on the bill at Croke Park tomorrow afternoon.

Delaney predicted a crowd in the region of 45,000 for last weekend’s football double-header and was almost bang on with the eventual number announced at just shy of 50,000.

A figure just north of half that is expected this time.

“I think we would be looking at in and around the 30,000-mark,” he predicted. “That’s the feeling I get going by the requests for tickets in the office this week anyway. The hurling crowd are always slower to purchase their tickets in advance, especially in Kilkenny, as they always know that there will be tickets floating around for the hurling games.”