Mayo footballers request league final to be played day earlier than planned
SCHEDULE-CHANGE? Mayo manager Kevin McStay during the Allianz Football League Division 1 match between Roscommon and Mayo at Dr Hyde Park in Roscommon. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Mayo’s senior footballers have written to the GAA requesting their Allianz Division 1 final be played on Saturday week.
A county source confirmed player representatives issued a letter to the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) asking that they may consider arranging the match on April 1 as opposed to a day later. Mayo’s Connacht SFC quarter-final takes place against Roscommon in Castlebar on April 9.
Unbeaten Mayo, who qualified for their third final in five years courtesy of beating Donegal last weekend, articulated their concern about the quick turnaround between the games. The Roscommon game will be their fourth game in as many weekends, their seventh in eight weekends.
An official request for a specific date has to be made by the Mayo County Board. It remains to be seen if one could be facilitated as broadcasters TG4 have organised live slots for both days with Division 3 and 4 finals usually taking place on Saturday and the Division 1 and 2 matches on Sunday.
Last September, the CCCC proposed that the league finals be disbanded only for Central Council to reject their recommendation. The Gaelic Players Association (GPA) endorsed the retention of the finals.
Connacht secretary and CCCC member John Prenty had called for the games to be scrapped with the table toppers after seven rounds to be crowned victors.
“Who is interested in winning it?” Prenty said last August. “If you look at the way Mayo treated their league final. It is too close to playing the first round of the championship. How many leagues in the world finish up with that?” Mayo lost last year’s final to Kerry by 15 points, three weeks out from their Connacht SFC quarter-final defeat to Galway.
Should Galway beat Kerry in Salthill on Sunday, Mayo will face their neighbours in the league showdown. However, Kerry, Roscommon and Tyrone are still in the shake-up to fill the second final berth.
