Louth captain unhappy Cork game went ahead after 'zero testing'

Cork's Colm O'callaghan scores the opening goal at Páirc Uí Chaoimh despite the best efforts of Louth's Bevan Duffy. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

Louth captain Bevan Duffy has hit out at the GAA's Covid-19 precautions, saying he can't understand why Louth players weren't tested before their trip to Cork.

Duffy said he wasn't happy that the game at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, which saw Louth relegated after a 5-19 to 0-16 loss, went ahead at all, especially given the lack of testing he experienced. 

"I don't understand, with the case numbers going up, the way things are all around the country, how GAA inter-county footballers are all of a sudden immune to this," he told LMFM.

"We've teachers in that dressing room. We've lads living at home, a lot of lads living at home with their elderly parents. It doesn't really make that much sense.

"A lot of former players seem to be driving it, but they're lads who are writing articles and have their TV gigs.

"The protocols need to be better, without a doubt. There hasn't been any testing at all, which I can't get my head around.

"Surely before the start of the National League campaign every inter-county squad should have been tested. Simple as.

"That would take a lot of pressure off and put your mind at ease a bit, but you don't know.

What if someone tests positive on either of these squads next Tuesday? And there are lads after playing a match here in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and then gone back to their homes and back all over Cork and all over Louth.

"The lack of testing, the zero testing, I just can't understand it."

Duffy praised the GPA, who have endorsed the inter-county season continuing with “additional safeguards and supports for the welfare of its members”, a stance backed by 76% of members. The other 24% do not wish for the season to proceed.

However, he criticised those who claim GAA games have played no role in the second wave of coronavirus.  

People are saying it's not coming from GAA teams but if you're not being tested, you're not going to get any positive tests.

"It can't be a case of if you get symptoms you get tested. There's needs to be either the whole squad tested or random testing every week. Something needs to be done.

"It's not right to put this sort of burden on amateur lads. We're not professional rugby players or professional soccer players who can go into these bubbles if needs be or are getting paid to do this.

"We're amateurs, we all have day-to-day jobs. We spend Monday to Friday mingling with everyone in shops, just like anyone else."

Former Dublin footballer Bernard Brogan had floated the idea of running off a championship with players taking time off work to live in a GAA bubble, but Duffy dismissed the idea as "complete madness".

"These two months are the busiest time of the year in my place of work and if there's a positive test I'm gone two weeks. We can't really afford that, it's been a tough enough year as it is."