We just shoot ourselves in the foot, don’t we?
On probably the biggest day of the GAA calender, Galway’s club hurlers were hunched into a corner of their dressing rooms watching the All-Ireland football final on their phones.
Watching the opening stages of the second half of the Mayo Vs. Dublin game, because then, then they had to go out to Duggan Park in Ballinasloe, Kenny Park in Athenry, and Loughrea to warm up for their crucial club Championship games that were throwing in at 5:30.
The GAA is great, and the 3rd Sunday of September is so often it’s greatest day, but why then do we keep doing stupid things? Like organising a Limerick ladies football final for 9:00 of a Saturday morning, like depriving fellow GAA players from watching the pinnacle game of the year.
The GAA is a community. There’s rivalries and there’s this and there’s that, but at the end of the day, we all have similar hopes, similar dreams and similar interests. We all want to watch All-Ireland final day, a day that everybody should be celebrating our organisation.
Instead, six Galway club hurling teams were leaving their houses, leaving the game behind to make the journey to games that will define their seasons.
These were the fixtures that took place in Galway.
Senior A Hurling Championship – Group 1
Sun, 17 Sep, Venue: Duggan Park , Loughrea V Tommy Larkins 17:30.
Sun, 17 Sep, Venue: Loughrea, Liam Mellows V Mullagh 17:30.
Sun, 17 Sep, Venue: Kenny Park, Craughwell V Cappataggle 17:30.
Just put yourselves in the shoes of the players for a second. They were probably told to be in the dressing room at 4:30. They had to leave their homes at 4:00. How could they enjoy the football, when their mind was occupied about the game they were about to play?
I'd like to thank the Galway county board for organising championship at half 5 on a Sunday… on All-Ireland final day #NoRespect pic.twitter.com/SbxKXVSNaX
— Alan Loughnane (@AlanLoughnane) September 17, 2017
Cappatagle hurler Alan Loughnane told us about the plight faced by him and his teammates, and the negative affects the disgraceful fixture planning had on their game with Craughwell.
“There were clusters of players in the dressing room beforehand watching the game on their phones,” said the Galway man.
“There was a small crowd at the game until about five or ten minutes in, when everyone came because the football game was over at that stage.
“It’s a lack of respect to the players, we’re all GAA fans and wanted to watch the game,” he concluded.
Not good enough.
