Abandoned match to be replayed on March 31st

A FAIRLY bizarre chain of events – and a serious breakdown in communications, it would appear – has forced the GAA’s Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) to defer until Saturday, March 31st, the abandoned Allianz Football League game between Mayo and Dublin.

The game, called off at half-time last Saturday due to heavy fog, will take place back at McHale Park in Castlebar a full seven weeks later than originally scheduled, with a throw-in time yet to be confirmed, although around lunchtime yesterday, news emerged that the CCCC had in fact re-fixed the game for this Saturday evening, at McHale Park, with a 7.30 throw-in.

What happened next once again threw the spotlight on the GAA’s frequently conflicting calendar: former Meath All-Ireland-winning manager Seán Boylan was at Croke Park to announce details of his Leinster football panel for this Sunday’s Interprovincial semi-final, against Connacht, which has a 2pm start at Markievicz Park.

Boylan had already selected 10 Dublin players as part of his 25-man panel, including his captain Alan Brogan, and was set to outline his ambitions for Sunday’s game at a press briefing, set for 2.30pm. However, around 2pm, Boylan’s selector with Leinster and former Dublin midfielder Ciarán Whelan called him to say the Dublin-Mayo game was reset for this Sunday, causing an obvious conflict for the 10 Dublin players they’d selected.

Boylan, understandably peeved, refused to attend the briefing until the CCCC were contacted and told of this. So, thanks to the quick intervention of Leinster press officer John Cotter, and, it seems, the advice of GAA director general Paraic Duffy, the CCCC promptly reconvened, and deferred the Dublin-Mayo game until March 31st.

It’s hardly ideal for either county – and in fact forces Dublin and Mayo to play their remaining six rounds of the Allianz Football League over six successive weekends. Indeed should one or both counties end up making the new division league semi-finals – set for April 15th – then they’ll be facing seven weekends on the trot, with only one weekend off before a potential league final, on April 29th.

But in the end the CCCC were left with little choice: the GAA agreed to revive the much-maligned Interprovincial series this year, despite some repeated calls to end it. There was no competition in 2010 and again last year, but last April’s Congress voted for its return in 2012. The semi-finals were scheduled for this weekend as far back as last November, and given Dublin’s inevitably strong involvement as All-Ireland champions, it seems highly contradictory that the CCCC would have even considered refixing the league game for this weekend.

Although the Allianz Football League now enters a two weekend hiatus, the CCCC also ruled out the weekend after next due to clashes with the Sigerson Cup finals, which again might involve several Dublin players, and which means Dublin and Mayo have a long wait before their second rendezvous: the weekend of March 31st/April 1st was the only other available date, sandwiched between round six and round seven, and while the rest of division one will get a breather, it will make for a demanding run of games for Dublin and Mayo.

It was also confirmed that Dublin defender James McCarthy, who was shown a straight red card after 23 minutes of last Saturday’s game, would still be facing the new one-match ban, despite the fact the game itself wasn’t concluded. However, Dublin will be requesting a hearing, given the widely held view that he was unlucky to be sent-off. While some contact was made with Mayo’s Alan Freeman as he attempted to break his tackle, McCarthy’s actions in no way appeared deliberate.

According to the GAA: “The experimental one-match suspension applies only to the next game in the Allianz League or senior intercounty championship, as applicable. The player can continue to play for his club, or at under-21 grade for his county or for his county’s footballers.”

So, regardless of any successful hearing request from Dublin, McCarthy is free to play with DCU in the Sigerson Cup, and indeed next Friday’s rescheduled O’Byrne Cup final, against Kildare, which the Leinster Council yesterday confirmed would take place in Portlaoise, at 7.30.

That also means Kildare defender Brian Flanagan should be okay to play this Friday as well, as the straight red card he was shown in Sunday’s Football League defeat to Monaghan will only result in a one-match ban in that competition.

The CCCC have yet to indicate if they’ll be taking any further action after the incident just before half time, which saw several players from both teams get involved in an overtly physical row.

LEINSTER SF PANEL (v Connacht): S Cluxton (Dublin), G Connaghton (Westmeath), R O’Carroll (Dublin), K Reilly (Meath), G Brennan (Dublin), K Nolan (Dublin), K Lillis (Laois), E Bolton (Kildare), C Healy (Laois), S McAnarney (Meath), G Molloy (Wexford), MD McCauley (Dublin), P Keenan (Louth), B Quigley (Laois), B Murphy (Carlow), A Brogan (Dublin), B Brogan (Dublin), L Glynn (Wicklow), K McManamon (Dublin), S McCormack (Longford), M Conway (Kildare), J Sheridan (Meath), B Cullen (Dublin), J Doyle (Kildare), D Connolly (Dublin).

LEINSTER SH PANEL (v Munster): G Maguire (Dublin), N Corcoran (Dublin), S Durkin (Dublin), R O’Dwyer (Dublin), P Ryan (Dublin), L Rushe (Dublin), D Herity (Kilkenny), P Murphy (Kilkenny), N Hickey (Kilkenny), J Tyrell (Kilkenny), T Walsh (Kilkenny), B Hogan (Kilkenny), JJ Delaney (Kilkenny), M Fennelly (Kilkenny), M Rice (Kilkenny), R Power (Kilkenny), E Larkin (Kilkenny), C Fennelly (Kilkenny), R Hogan (Kilkenny), W Hyland (Laois), R Hanniffy (Offaly), S Dooley (Offaly), J Bergin (Offaly), B Murtagh (Westmeath), D Stamp (Wexford), R Jacob (Wexford).