Counties unhappy with dates

The Games Administration Committee has re-fixed three matches - which were postponed last Sunday - for the weekend after next in spite of considerable opposition from the counties involved. Mayo, Kildare, Armagh, Galway, Fermanagh and Meath are the teams concerned and protests are expected from a number of them.

Mayo and Kildare have been given the option of playing on either Saturday or Sunday, December 11th or 12th. It would seem that Mayo are not at all happy with the decision while Kildare will be prepared to go ahead provided that their county champions, Sarsfields, are not involved in a drawn match with Na Fianna from Dublin, in the Leinster club final at Navan on Sunday.

Many Kildare supporters were particularly disappointed last weekend when a big number travelled to Castlebar for their match with Mayo. Some had even travelled on Saturday with the result that bedrooms in local hotels and guesthouses were at a premium in Castlebar but heavy overnight rain and again on Sunday morning left McHale Park unplayable, disappointing all those who had travelled.

More than 1,000 Galway supporters, plus the team, travelled to Armagh for their match but it was called off little more than an hour before the throw-in.

Galway now want the match at a neutral venue somewhere between the home pitches of the counties but that request is most likely to be turned down with the GAA having re-fixed the match for Sunday, 12th December.

The point has been made that Galway's Padraig Joyce, who is a student in Tralee, had to make an air journey to Dublin on Sunday morning and a car journey to Armagh later only to find that the match had been cancelled and was then faced with a similar trip back to Tralee.

As a spokesman for the Galway county board, who did not wish to be named, said yesterday: "That is far too much to expect from anyone. We hear a lot about the amateur status of our players but there are times when we ask far too much of them."

Armagh last night indicated that they were willing to play the match against Galway on Sunday week. A spokesman for the county board Pat Og Nugent, said that the team would prefer to have the match refixed for the New Year but were willing to go ahead as requested by the GAC.

In the meantime the focus switches to the Leinster club final between Na Fianna and Sarsfields. Both sides have delayed selection.

Na Fianna will have Jason Sherlock available following suspension but are not likely to name their starting 15 until Saturday evening.

Sarsfields are worried about their centre half back Liam Sex. He has been struggling to overcome a problem with his left knee and is reported to have only a 5050 chance of playing on Sunday.

News about their inter-county midfield pairing Niall Buckley and John Whelan and wing forward, Padraig Brennan, is more encouraging and all three are expected to play.