Coronavirus crisis: Can GAA salvage All-Ireland 2020?

Players have also been asked if they would be comfortable with empowering the GPA’s NEC to make a decision on their behalf should the Covid-19 situation on this island deteriorate

The GAA is facing a battle to save the 2020 Championship on the eve of the inter-county season’s resumption.

Results from a Gaelic Players Association’s (GPA) poll in which inter-county footballers and hurlers were asked if they want the Allianz Leagues and Championship to go ahead are expected to be revealed today.

Although it would be a major surprise if the majority of the player body were against it taking place, the decision could yet be taken out of the GAA and GPA’s hands.

Following a tumultuous 24 hours where the basketball and hockey seasons were suspended indefinitely, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar appeared to contradict a recommendation by Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan last week that senior inter-county GAA games could take place in Level 5.

The GPA’s national executive committee (NEC) will digest the feedback from the survey before deciding what to do. Among the three questions put to inter-county footballers and hurlers on Tuesday were how safe do they feel in their training/playing environments and do they want coronavirus protocols improved.

Players have also been asked if they would be comfortable with empowering the GPA’s NEC to make a decision on their behalf should the Covid-19 situation on this island deteriorate.

Having received several phonecalls, emails, and messages in the past week, the GPA is believed to be deeply concerned about the welfare of players. The canvass of their opinions is as much to weigh up those worries with their desire to represent their counties.

The questionnaire comes as Ulster GAA suspended all club activity in its nine counties and Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald confirmed his panel will return to training this weekend after two of the 54-strong camp between players and management and backroom team members tested positive for Covid-19.

Just over two weeks out from their Leinster SHC semi-final against Galway in Croke Park on October 31, the Wexford County Board and Fitzgerald sought use of the GAA’s new rapid testing system that has been put in place for the Championship for their entire camp.

After the county’s U20 hurlers were stood down due to a number of players testing positive for coronavirus and four clubs including senior players also had to suspend activities, the fear was an outbreak in the senior camp. However, that concern has been allayed.

“We weren’t asked to test anyone but we felt it was the right thing to do as a precaution,” Fitzgerald said. “So we asked for everyone to be tested and we almost have a full clean bill of health now and we will be working away from this weekend on.

“The two lads will be self-isolating for the time being and they can come back in about 10 days’ time.

It was important that everyone was tested because we need to know what we can and can’t do over the next two weeks.

“Croke Park were very helpful in this and I thank them for being able to facilitate the testing. We now have to stay to ourselves and we’ll be doing our best to make sure we don’t have to go through this again. But it’s great to be able to get this done and to be able to play games.

"Some of the stuff out there was sensationalised but we wanted to ensure everyone in the group was tested to give us that bit of reassurance. This is the world we’re living in now.”

Offaly chairman Michael Duignan revealed he recently issued stronger measures for the county panels in conjunction with their medical teams as they felt the ones issued by the Government and the GAA “weren’t strict enough”.

Duignan said: “We went through everything from A to Z and then out of that I issued a fresh set of protocols to all our county managers and I discussed it with them all to get agreement. In fairness, they got agreement from the players as well. It’s a collective approach.

“If we look back and the matches have happened, it could be one of the great All-Irelands ever to happen under the circumstances. But if we lost a Cork or Tipp before a Munster final or Kilkenny before a Leinster final it will certainly impact on how the thing is reflected on.

But I think everyone is doing their best. It’s going to be difficult and it is inevitable we will lose a couple of teams and a couple of matches along the way.

Pat Spillane criticised the GAA for not reducing the travelling for counties in this weekend’s Allianz League games and staging some of them at neutral venues. It follows confirmation from Kerry that their players will drive to face Monaghan in Inniskeen.

“It makes absolutely no sense that Kerry have to travel tomorrow to Monaghan individually in cars. It makes no sense the following Saturday for Donegal to go the length and breadth of the country to go to Kerry.

“Where counties are more than 100km apart, the game should have been played in neutral venues. The GAA might argue that you are losing home advantage but you are not losing home advantage because there are no crowds. 

"I think it is a mistake.”

Laois manager Mike Quirke, who is to bring his panel to face Covid-affected Fermanagh in Brewster Park on Saturday week, posted on Twitter: “Assuming the games go ahead as planned, which is something we’ve been looking forward to for months... it would be a sensible move for the GAA to reduce the burden on teams travelling long distances, and avoid all hot spot counties by playing games in suitable neutral venues.”