Chris Crummey: Losing Covid quartet hours before Leinster final a 'massive shock'

Dublin’s Chris Crummey: 'It was a massive shock, the last thing you were expecting to hear'. Picture: INPHO/Brian Reilly-Troy

Dublin hurler Chris Crummey admits it was a "massive shock" to lose a quartet of players for Covid related reasons just hours before the Leinster hurling final.

Ronan Hayes and Cian O’Callaghan were named to start against Kilkenny last Saturday but had to withdraw along with subs Oisin O’Rorke and Fergal Whitely.

Dublin GAA confirmed that one of the players tested positive for Covid-19 while the other three were identified as close contacts.

Andrew Dunphy and Mark Schutte came into the team as replacements and while Dublin stuck with Kilkenny for half an hour, they eventually slipped to a nine-point defeat.

“It was a massive shock, the last thing you were expecting to hear when you woke up on Saturday morning was that news,” said attacker Crummey. “I suppose it’s a risk for every county team when the numbers are so high.

“It’s just really important to follow all the protocols, which we have been doing so well and obviously we were lucky that the three lads tested negative as well.

“Obviously it came into the camp from the community and that’s a risk. We’re amateur players and a lot of us are living with friends or living with family and out in the community working with people every day. We’re not like the Lions where you can have a bubble in that sense where you can isolate in a hotel for a few weeks before a game.

So for that reason it’s a risk for every county team and just hopefully for the rest of the year no other team will have to wake up on the morning of a game with the same shock and disappointment.

To compound Dublin’s difficulties, full-back and talisman Eoghan O’Donnell limped off with a recurrence of a hamstring injury after just three minutes.

Towering half-forward Crummey said he didn’t necessarily feel robbed of the potential to pull off a landmark win by such bad luck.

“Ah no, just disappointed for the lads,” he said. “They’re massive players for us and they’d all contributed so much to us on our journey to get to the Leinster final. For them to be missing out on the game, I’m just disappointed for them.”

Crummey stopped short of suggesting that inter-county players should be vaccinated to avoid such issues.

“Obviously in hindsight it would have been great if we had all been vaccinated but I think there are a lot of people in society who could make a case for themselves to be vaccinated too,” he said. “The government have made their decisions and followed guidance in terms of what members of society should be vaccinated first.

“You just have to follow that. It’s obviously disappointing when you’re missing out on such a big game like a Leinster final and you’re a close contact and there’s no symptoms and you’re in the full of your health. To be sitting at home watching a Leinster final in that situation is very disappointing.”

- Chris Crummey was speaking at an AIG Dublin GAA event to celebrate the 2021 All-Ireland Championships. For great car and home insurance offers see www.aig.ie