Doyle questions Dubs’ Croker bias

Wexford footballer Aindreas Doyle has alluded to a finance-over-fair-play mentality in the GAA when it comes to their treatment of Dublin.

Speaking in Croke Park yesterday ahead of his side’s Leinster semi-final clash with the All-Ireland champions, the defender suggested that, given their league games are now also played at headquarters, the venue means Dublin always play at home come championship and that’s making it more difficult for the opposition.

“I’ve been known to bring this up in the past,” said Doyle. “I think last year Dublin played 14 games and 11 of them were here, between league and championship. That’d be unheard of in any other sport.

“If Kerry played 11 of their 14 games down in Killarney we’d probably be seeing Kerry win the All-Ireland every year. It has to be an advantage and it’s not right.”

Other statistics do back up Doyle’s viewpoint. In the last seven seasons Dublin have played 37 of their 38 championship games in Croke Park.

Only one of their last 40 summer games have been outside of the stadium and that was way back in June 2006, when they escaped from Longford by two points.

Indeed in that period, when combining the 11 other Leinster counties, there have been only eight instances of a team playing at home.

“Obviously there’s huge monetary conditions attached to it and the GAA are making massive money when Dublin play here,” continued Doyle, who actually plays his club football in the capital with Parnells and works as a parliamentary secretary in the Dáil for Wexford’s under-fire TD Mick Wallace.

“But while mentioning it now, that won’t be something we’ll be looking at as we go towards Sunday. It’s not for us to decide where Dublin play. But it has to be an advantage and there’s no point in saying it’s not.”