Earley: No player dreams of an All-Ireland semi-final down in Limerick

By Peter O’Dwyer

The players of Mayo and Kerry have been overlooked in the decision taken by the GAA to stage the All-Ireland semi-final replay in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick.

That was the feeling of former inter-county players Eamon O’Hara, Ciarán Whelan and Dermot Earley who criticised the GAA’s decision with O’Hara saying the players have been “completely overlooked” by the Association.

The GAA, in a statement, rejected the option of the replay being held in Croke Park on September 6, saying that “wiggle room” was needed to cater for the possibility that the replay would again be drawn or that the other semi-final between Dublin and Donegal would end in a stalemate next weekend.

Mayo GAA who had lobbied for the game to be postponed until September 6 to allow its staging in GAA headquarters said that they accept the decision but are very disappointed with it, adding that a more neutral venue would be more appropriate.

“There’s a contradiction within that if the GAA are looking at whether Dublin and Donegal draw and they have to have a contingency for that,” said former Dublin midfielder Whelan on RTÉ’s ‘Sunday Game’.

“Why didn’t somebody sit down at the start of the year and say, “We need a contingency for every match’. This is the prime time for our games; when we should be in Croke Park.

"When the players are entitled to be in Croke Park, they decided to put an American football match in there in the middle of the high season so that was a commercial decision made by the GAA and I think they didn’t have a contingency plan in place for this game and I think it’s unfair…it’s unjust and using the Dublin Donegal excuse – maybe cross that bridge when you come to it and put them in Croke Park on Saturday week,” he added.

His sentiments were echoed by former Kildare star and fellow pundit Dermot Earley who said that the Mayo and Kerry players deserve to contest the replay in the finest stadium the GAA has to offer and suggested the GAA had chosen the wrong time of the year to stage the American football college match that is due to take place next Saturday.

“No player dreams of playing an All-Ireland [semi] final down in Limerick and that’s no disrespect to Limerick because it’s a fine ground but they deserve to play up in Croke Park, at our headquarters, on the best surface in the country with the best facilities.

“I think it’s a great thing that we can bring these games to Croke Park but you pick your time, as Ciarán mentioned: this is the busy time, this is our stadium, this is a GAA stadium, this is a busy time for us. The ground is empty for six months of the year, have them at a different time of the year.

“I fully support bringing concerts, bringing American football but its picking the right time and unfortunately this clashes and unfortunately we’re going to have an All-Ireland [semi] final down in Limerick,” said Earley.

The two-time All-Star also suggested that perhaps the American football game should be moved to Limerick with the semi-final replay taking place in Croke Park, saying that the decision had angered him just as it has many fans in both counties.

Whelan also expressed sympathy with the two panels of players with regard to the six day turnaround between the two games, saying that it is a very demanding task for the players to get themselves up again for the replay on Saturday.