Boylan wins out as Dublin league game switched

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) were yesterday forced to make a dramatic fixture U-turn following an intervention by Leinster interpro boss Seán Boylan.

The CCCC had initially rescheduled the abandoned Mayo-Dublin Division 1 game for Saturday at 2pm, 24 hours before the M Donnelly Interprovincial semi-finals. However, with 10 Dublin players included in Boylan’s panel and Alan Brogan named as captain for their Sunday game against Munster, Boylan insisted the league game be re-fixed for another date.

There were bizarre scenes at Leinster’s Interprovincial Series press conference in Croke Park yesterday, which was delayed for over an hour because of the row. Boylan didn’t attend the outdoor photo-call and only appeared in front of the media after the date of the league tie was switched.

That was later confirmed as March 31 in Castlebar, which means both counties must play seven league games in as many weeks.

Boylan refused to confirm whether he had threatened to quit his post.

However, he stated it would have made “a mockery” of the competition if the league game had gone ahead this Saturday.

“It’s very simple. I said ‘there’s no point in going ahead with this if we haven’t got everybody’.

“The series is for everybody and there’s no point in going ahead unless we did that.

“The Ard Stiurthoir [Páraic Duffy] came on board and things got sorted out.

“The lads have been given their chance to represent their province and I think that’s fantastic.”

Mayo are also believed to have a sizeable contingent on the Connacht panel who face Ulster in Sunday’s other semi-final in Sligo.

Interestingly, Dublin chairman Andy Kettle said the CCCC had spoken to him on Sunday about staging the game on the weekend of March 31 because of the upcoming Interprovincials and Sigerson Cup weekend next week.

He said: “It was queried whether Dublin would have any problem with that, playing so many league games in as many weeks, but I contacted the senior management and they had no problem.”

Competition sponsor Martin Donnelly expressed his delight at the CCCC’s decision.

He said: “I’m glad to see common sense prevail because it would have been a disaster. You might as well pull the shutters down on this competition, or the football side of it anyway.

“We won’t get another weekend for this competition — the league will.”