Kerry chairman seeks clarity on early All-Ireland Club finishes
The GAA’s Central Council has proposed compressing the campaign so Club All-Irelands finish by December.
It has drawn criticism from Kerry, with county secretary Peter Twiss and O’Sullivan voicing concerns in their reports to the annual convention on Monday night. O’Sullivan has made it clear, however, the proposal might have potential if counties were provided with greater clarity.
“We in Kerry are very much to the front on giving things a try,” he said, “but the information has to be circulated before we could even think about doing anything.
“The way things are set up at the moment, there are a lot more questions than answers. What’s happening with the McGrath Cup? What’s happening with the Sigerson? How do they fit in?
“You have the All-Ireland U21 and junior championships and a whole range of fixtures beneath that again — what happens to them? Those questions must all be answered.
“They should be talking to the chairmen of the Competitions Control Committees in all the counties, getting a national view based on what counties are doing.”
O’Sullivan also referenced the atmosphere in Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds for the All-Ireland SFC semi-final replay against Mayo and he believes the possibility of taking All-Ireland quarter-finals out of Croke Park should be examined.
“When the quarter-final stage came in day one, they were played in the provinces,” he said. “There are many grounds within those provinces which can hold major games. If you had a quarter-final in Killarney or Salthill or Gaelic Grounds, you’ll have full houses, people will go there. Everything is directed towards Dublin, it’s the national ground and players want to play there, but there’s no reason why this can’t be looked at. We’d be in favour of the provincial champions having home advantage in the quarter-finals.”
