John Fintan Daly: 'Postponing county finals until 2021 gives certainty to players'

Knocknagree manager John Fintan Daly after defeating Nemo Rangers' in the Bon Secours Cork PIFC quarter-final earlier this year. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Knocknagree football manager John Fintan Daly says teams involved in county finals should be offered some level of certainty - and the best way to provide this certainty is to postpone county finals until 2021.

Knocknagree were due to play Kanturk in the Cork Premier IFC decider this Saturday, but no more than every other county final in the country, the game has been shoved back to an unknown date following the GAA’s decision to suspend games activity at club level for at least two weeks.

Daly is not opposed to the wait-and-see approach being adopted by Cork County Board and, indeed, most other county boards with finals outstanding, but he would like to see players offered some degree of certainty so they are not left in limbo in the coming weeks and months.

If the GAA does give the green light for club games to return in a fortnight and Cork County Board commits to finishing their competitions in 2020, then county final dates will become subject to Cork’s involvement in the All-Ireland hurling and football championship.

“I would like certainty. And from that point of view, it might very well be the right thing to put the games into the New Year because, as of now, we don't know [when those finals could be played this year],” said Daly.

Knocknagree's manager/coach John Fintan Daly and captain Matthew Dilworth raise the trophy after defeating Erins Own in the Cork county JAFC final in 2017. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“I would like certainty because the players have been going for a while. You are asking them to train for a final and you don't know when it is going to be.

I would like certainty and maybe there is a case for putting these games back until we have a situation of certainty.

A Cork County Board statement this morning said the board intends to complete its 2020 programme of games “when circumstances allow”.

“The CCC will reschedule outstanding fixtures as soon as possible, subject to prevailing government restrictions, GAA guidelines and inter-county championship fixtures.

“The remaining thirteen of our sixteen county finals at adult level had been scheduled over the next month and we thank clubs that have qualified for the latter stages of same for your continued patience at this difficult time for members.

“No decision has been made on the club U21 fixtures currently outstanding.”