Rory Delaney was at Cumann na mBunscol finals last week in Laois and his recount of the Division 8 decider is grim.
The Leinster Express journalist was present for the hurling clash between Castletown B and Knockmay A but what unfolded seemed to be the very moment that some adults in the GAA have gone way too far.
Competition is good. Winning at all costs at primary school level? Depressing.
From Delaney’s fascinating article on what happened, a number of key points stood out that will really – or should really – leave a sour taste with Gaels all over the country.
According to the Leinster Express, the following occurred for Thursday’s decider:
- Castletown drafted in a number of A players to play in the B final.
- Castletown teachers and mentors refused to provide accurate team list for media.
- Further request for team sheets after the game was met with more inaccuracies.
- Journalists have since been told that Castletown broke no rules.
- The party line then became that Castletown fielded A players on ‘health and safety grounds’ because some of their B players were too small.
To put context on this so-called cover-up job of the Castletown NS team, Delaney writes:
“I’ve covered in the region of 200 Cumann na mBunscol finals, between football and hurling, since I started writing for this paper, and this is the only time a school has refused to give me their team list.”
Castletown won the Division 8 final. Brilliant. Well done.
What was the point of that?
Not only have the screwed over a Division 8 standard team by putting them up against players superior to that standard in a final, but they’ve dropped some of their own B team who got them to the decider from what should have been a massive day and great occasion for those youngsters.
And they’ve done it all by showing everyone – students, parents, anyone outside the school – that winning is all that matters.
Making sure they won at whatever cost was all they cared about. They obviously knew this was a little unethical – if not dodgy – if they refused to provide accurate team lists for the media on the day. They obviously didn’t care too much about those ethics though if it meant they got a Division 8 primary school trophy to show for it.
Read the Leinster Express’ full report here. It’s a brilliant read but you’ll be despairing afterwards.
