No point in dragging Cork to Longford for dead rubber, says Pádraic Davis

The Longford manager believes staging such dead rubbers gives “naysayers” ammunition to criticise the GAA for continuing with the inter-county season

Longford manager Padraic Davis. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

Longford manager Pádraic Davis sees no reason why their final round Division 3 game against Cork should go ahead this weekend, and believes staging such dead rubbers gives “naysayers” ammunition to criticise the GAA for continuing with the inter-county season.

Following their win over Louth on Saturday, Cork have already been crowned Division 3 champions, while Longford’s promotion chances have all but evaporated that same day following their defeat to Derry.

Longford weren’t helped by promotion rivals Down being handed a walkover by Leitrim and Davis is adamant the game should have gone ahead or been rescheduled with promotion and relegation on the line.

However, he accepts Longford didn’t do enough to give themselves a real chance of joining Cork in Division 2 in 2021 as he appreciates the game against the Rebels scheduled for Glennon Brothers Pearse Park this Sunday is of no consequence. 

“Any game that affects promotion or relegation, I think it’s bad form when it’s pulled. But across all four divisions, anywhere that there is a dead rubber game we shouldn’t be playing them, it’s as simple as that.

“So if you have a team that is already promoted or relegated and the result of their game doesn’t have an effect on promotion or relegation it shouldn’t be played. We’re in a pandemic so it makes no sense at all to play them. But for the integrity of the competition particularly for relegation, my God, it must go ahead.

“Our own game against Cork on Sunday is a dead rubber. It makes no sense dragging Cork up the road to play Longford. 

We will be anything but full strength with a knockout championship match a week later. Will Cork play full strength when they don’t have to? To me, it’s a thing of nothing.

“After Derry at the weekend, we were saying Louth now and the first round of Leinster (on November 1) is where it’s at.

“All the naysayers and there is more and more out of them out there who want this season pulled, if these dead rubbers are played it eats into the thing and gives them fuel. 

“But I think a right bit of credit came into the whole thing at the weekend. The compliance in Derry from the officials to the ground staff to the players, everyone masked up inside and outside, it was so low risk. It would be a pity if the season doesn’t survive.

“I think if people saw that, and there was a taste of it on (RTÉ’s) League Sunday, the precautions all squads are taking, they would realise what’s being done. I think we have more hope today than we did a week ago of things progressing.”

Cork are due to stay in Johnstown House in Enfield this Saturday to break up the journey to Longford. The game on Sunday has a 2pm throw-in time.