GAA rule out O'Mahony idea of double bill for finals

GAELIC GAMES ALLIANZ NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS:AS THE GAA confirmed details of the remaining National League finals, Croke Park ruled out the idea floated by Mayo manager John O'Mahony that the Division One football and hurling finals be played as a double bill.

“I think what should happen now is a double-header,” said O’Mahony after his county’s win against Cork in the last of the regulation matches copper-fastened their place in the final. “We have Mayo-Cork in the football and Galway-Cork in the hurling so why not fill some pitch somewhere and promote the game.”

But responding to the proposal GAA operations manager Feargal McGill told The Irish Timesit would be impossible to adopt the idea.

“It’s not going to happen. The main reason – although on one level it does make sense – is that people tend to look at county fixtures in isolation and don’t always understand how intricate and easily upset the national fixtures plan is. I wouldn’t have fully appreciated that myself until getting involved. To move an under-age game from Saturday to Sunday can create enormous difficulties.

“On the face of it, it’s a great idea and would make a lovely occasion but the impact on club matches would be severe. You may be sure Cork have an entire weekend of football fixtures on the weekend of the National Hurling League final. We don’t just pluck the dates out of thin air. All counties are informed about the schedule as soon as it’s ready and asked to plan around the national fixtures plan. Had we known about this last October we could have done something but it’s not possible at this stage.”

McGill was also at pains to emphasise club fixtures weren’t the only obstacle in the way of the initiative and that the lower divisional finals had to be borne in mind.

“We also have to take into account that the Division Two final represents a promotional opportunity for the counties involved and if that isn’t played with the Division One final where does it mover to? You can say in the football that Armagh and Down could look after themselves but that wouldn’t be the case every year.

“I have absolute sympathy with John’s view but at this stage there’s too much going against it.”

McGill was speaking after the GAA had released details of this year’s finals. The football deciders will be played over the weekend of the 24th and 25th of this month at Croke Park.

On the Saturday evening Sligo face Antrim in the Division Three final, just 12 months after the counties contested the Division Four final, the final of which this year will take place earlier in the evening and feature Waterford and Limerick. It will be the Waterford footballers’ first appearance at the redeveloped stadium.

The following day Cork face Mayo, the counties’ first clash at the stadium since the 2002 All-Ireland quarter-final. The curtain raiser will bring together Ulster neighbours Down and Armagh, both managed by former Down All-Ireland winners: the latter by the 1991 captain Paddy O’Rourke and the former by James McCartan, who in his first year in charge has led the county through an unbeaten campaign.

The hurling final will be in Thurles on the Bank Holiday Sunday in May with the Division Two final, the contestants yet to be confirmed, as the curtain-raiser.

Meanwhile the Leinster Council has agreed to allow next Sunday’s NHL Division Two match between Carlow and Laois to double as this year’s Walsh Shield final.

Meanwhile, the synthetic pitch at Kingspan Breffni Park and commissioned by the Cavan County Board has become the first 3G (third generation) pitch in Ireland to be recognised as meeting the new GAA artificial surface standards, adopted by Congress last year.

In recognition of the requirement for these pitches in GAA clubs around the country, congress accepted product specifications and guidelines for the playing of Gaelic games on all-weather surfaces.

Synthetic turf manufacturers had to have their surfaces laboratory tested to meet these requirements and on completion of a pitch installation, have the field tested to confirm it passes these stringent standards.

NFL & NHL finals

Saturday, April 24th

NFL Division Four Final – Limerick v WaterfordCroke Park, 5pm *

NFL Division Three Final – Antrim v SligoCroke Park, 7pm *

Sunday, April 25th

NFL Division Two Final – Down v ArmaghCroke Park, 2pm *

NFL Division One Final – Cork v MayoCroke Park, 4pm *

Saturday, May 1st

NHL Division Three B Final – Louth v WicklowParnell Park, 7pm

Sunday, May 2nd

NHL Division Two Final – Clare v Wexford/Carlow/LaoisThurles, 5pm *

NHL Division One Final – Cork v GalwayThurles, 7pm *

* Live on TG4