Tyrone v Kerry - All-Ireland SF 2021

[LCohen]

I think they are right to do this. What's the point in pulling boys who haven't been near a county setup into a team to just put up a show and likely get hammered. It would do nothing for anyone. If boys are properly sick too then they shouldn't be under pressure to play.

Do you know how many of the panel would be ready to go by next weekend?
How many players will have to drafted in from outside the squad?

But I agree that sick players shouldn't be under pressure to play but we know that they were not under pressure to play

[Cunny Funt]

Have Tyrone withdrawn our simply putting out this statement in order for HQ to push the semi final back another week?

[yellowcard]

My understanding is that Tyrone have not withdrawn from the competition.

They have advised HQ that they will not be fulfilling the scheduled fixture.

The 2 are not the same.

Ball is in GAA's court.

What flexibility the GAA have and what their assessment of the position within Tyrone is will both be interesting reading.

On that basis most people will see this for what it is then. A cynical attempt by a county board to force the GAA's hand into granting them an extra week preparation time dressed up in a PR statement with some flowery language. Their manager is a lawyer so it is likely that he would have known what was being put into the statement. Lets see how all of this plays out but the cynic in me tends to think that it is simply a power play by Tyrone. How can they decide that they won't be fulfilling the fixture based on the medical condition of their players when the match is still 7 days away.

There are 3 possible outcomes here:

1) Tyrone do not fulfill the fixture in which case the GAA will have to decide on what sanctions to impose on Tyrone GAA for failing to field.
2) The GAA bow to pressure from Tyrone county board and grant them their extra week.
3) The GAA reinstate Monaghan and play the semi final as planned next week.

I think we can rule out option 3 as a non starter. So then it is a blinking contest between Tyrone county board and HQ.

What tends to get forgotten in all of this is that Tyrone had a minimal chance of beating Kerry in the first instance, it was perceived as a shot to nothing before the Covid outbreak. In many ways they have nothing to lose here. If they were the overwhelming favourites to progress I doubt if they would be throwing the toys out of the pram in the same manner.   

[twohands!!!]

Tyrone GAA Statement Re- All Ireland Football Semi-Final V. Kerry
August 14th, 2021

This morning, the Tyrone GAA Management Committee has decided that it is not in a position to field its senior football team in the rescheduled All-Ireland football championship semi-final in Croke Park, on next Saturday.
Having received expert medical opinion on the existing, and future health and welfare of the players who contracted the Covid19 virus during the period of this last two weeks, and following consultation with the team's management, this decision has been made with the greatest reluctance, and with deep regret.
It is acknowledged that the decision taken will cause major disappointment and significant inconvenience for the Association, in general, the GAA fraternity of Kerry, and especially for Tyrone's patrons and supporters, but the welfare and safety of players has been the over-riding factor in all considerations of this difficult situation.

https://tyronegaa.ie/2021/08/tyrone-gaa-statement-re-all-ireland-football-semi-final-v-kerry/

I always thought that if the number of cases was as high as rumoured that it was always likely that Tyrone wouldn't be able to field.
Probably won't ever come out but it would be interesting to know how exactly there were two outbreaks in the same squad and what sort of percentage of the squad was vaccinated.
I've younger relatives who were absolutely racing to get the vaccine as soon as they could for fear they would miss county championship games.
Hopefully none of those infected suffer any long-term damage.

Being vaccinated doesn't stop you from getting Covid and testing positive though?

Agreed that it's going to be a big issue during the Club Championship.

It's not 100% but it reduces the odds of catching it substantially and if you do catch it, it's a lot less severe.
Based on the rumoured number of cases, it's very hard to imagine many if any of the Tyrone panel were vaccinated.

[Baile Brigín 2]

Tyrone have assessed the situation of their players and have announced that they cannot play the game next week.

No more, no less.

We can speculate 'til the cows come home but it makes no difference. If the GAA decide that Kerry continue to the final, so be it.

Tyrone have done nothing wrong here as far as I can see.

If 20 of your players catch Covid they have done something wrong

[Solo_run]

Shame we weren't going to see another hammering 😔

[RedHand88]

In a potentially libellous twitter rant, Ewan Mackenna wants a two year ban and relegation to division 2.

[Mayo4Sam14]

Tyrone have assessed the situation of their players and have announced that they cannot play the game next week.

No more, no less.

We can speculate 'til the cows come home but it makes no difference. If the GAA decide that Kerry continue to the final, so be it.

Tyrone have done nothing wrong here as far as I can see.

If 20 of your players catch Covid they have done something wrong

Footballers don't exist in a parallel universe, many ways to catch covid and then very easy spread in a squad

[Baile Brigín 2]

Tyrone have assessed the situation of their players and have announced that they cannot play the game next week.

No more, no less.

We can speculate 'til the cows come home but it makes no difference. If the GAA decide that Kerry continue to the final, so be it.

Tyrone have done nothing wrong here as far as I can see.

If 20 of your players catch Covid they have done something wrong

Footballers don't exist in a parallel universe, many ways to catch covid and then very easy spread in a squad

Correct. But other counties weren't ravaged. There was clearly an outbreak within the panel and spread within the panel. That's on the management. Specifically celebations after the Ulster final.

[twohands!!!]

Tyrone have assessed the situation of their players and have announced that they cannot play the game next week.

No more, no less.

We can speculate 'til the cows come home but it makes no difference. If the GAA decide that Kerry continue to the final, so be it.

Tyrone have done nothing wrong here as far as I can see.

I'd have serious question marks about how good they were in terms of their COVID compliance.
There's seems to be a very big gap between doing the utter bare minimum as set down in the laws/regulations and doing absolutely everything in your power to avoid COVID.
While they might not have done anything wrong, it's very hard to imagine there couldn't have been more careful, given there were supposedly two separate outbreaks and the numbers reportedly infected. I was talking to someone from Kerry last week and they were saying they'd heard of one Kerry player who'd moved into a house on his own out the country to reduce his risk as he had a few siblings and he was concerned because they were all socialising . From what he was saying this was off the individual's own bat but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of players from the other teams left were on defacto lock-down at this stage of affairs.

[BennyHarp]

Tyrone have assessed the situation of their players and have announced that they cannot play the game next week.

No more, no less.

We can speculate 'til the cows come home but it makes no difference. If the GAA decide that Kerry continue to the final, so be it.

Tyrone have done nothing wrong here as far as I can see.

I'd have serious question marks about how good they were in terms of their COVID compliance.
There's seems to be a very big gap between doing the utter bare minimum as set down in the laws/regulations and doing absolutely everything in your power to avoid COVID.
While they might not have done anything wrong, it's very hard to imagine there couldn't have been more careful, given there were supposedly two separate outbreaks and the numbers reportedly infected. I was talking to someone from Kerry last week and they were saying they'd heard of one Kerry player who'd moved into a house on his own out the country to reduce his risk as he had a few siblings and he was concerned because they were all socialising . From what he was saying this was off the individual's own bat but I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of players from the other teams left were on defacto lock-down at this stage of affairs.

The level of dimwittery in some of the posts regarding this is staggering. You do realise these are amateur players with jobs to go to, families you look after and lives to lead. Do you really think they can go into defacto lock down? That might be ok if you are semi professional like the Kerry and Dublin lads seem to be these days.

Tyrone have a large number of players who have caught a serious virus that has ravaged through communities across the world and is particularly prevalent amongst the community in Tyrone currently - this was always something that could unfortunately happen. They have lads in the panel who have been in bed for days and others who have lost over a stone in weight, this is not a ruse, this is not a game, this is not a conspiracy. Tyrone have taken a very tough decision based on player welfare and I applaud them for it. I do think the GAA need to have a look at themselves as to whether they handled this appropriately.

[WT4E]

Well to be fair they didn't really help that argument with the 2 day session.

[tonto1888]

The talk of how the covid outbreaks happened is nonsense. Pure speculation and unfair for those involved

[tonto1888]

Tyrone have assessed the situation of their players and have announced that they cannot play the game next week.

No more, no less.

We can speculate 'til the cows come home but it makes no difference. If the GAA decide that Kerry continue to the final, so be it.

Tyrone have done nothing wrong here as far as I can see.

If 20 of your players catch Covid they have done something wrong

Footballers don't exist in a parallel universe, many ways to catch covid and then very easy spread in a squad

Correct. But other counties weren't ravaged. There was clearly an outbreak within the panel and spread within the panel. That's on the management. Specifically celebations after the Ulster final.

What celebrations?

[Baile Brigín 2]

Well to be fair they didn't really help that argument with the 2 day session.

Young men went to a pub? Bastards!

.... and caught Covid, brought it to training and spread it....