Kildare v the GAA Part 2

Started by Dinny Breen, June 28, 2018, 10:54:05 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Dinny Breen

Kudos to the Kildare Hurlers & their Antrim Brothers


Kildare and Antrim hurlers release joint statement on farcical playoff situation facing both counties
By Patrick Ward 22:26 Thursday 28th of June 2018

The GPA have released a statement tonight on behalf of the Kildare and Antrim hurlers ahead of their playoff this Saturday, which will determine which side plays in next year's Joe McDonagh Cup.

Meath finished last in the second tier competition, meaning they were relegated to the Christy Ring Cup, while Antrim finished second from bottom. Kildare won the Christy Ring Cup, but they will not be automatically be promoted to the Joe McDonagh Cup as the GAA are trying to cut that competition down to five teams ahead of 2019.

It means that a playoff between Antrim and Kildare has been included in the structure of the competition, which is the main bone of contention for both counties. The statement released by the GPA also outlines the farcical timing of the game, which arrives just seven days after Kildare won a national title in Croke Park and has been fixed for Armagh at 12.45pm on Saturday afternoon.

Joe Quaid told KildareNow earlier this week that he felt there should be no playoff game, and, seeing as there is one in the offing now, questioned why it was being rushed.

The statement on behalf of the players also outlines how teams in the lower tiers are now being marginalised and that events such as this is only hampering the development of hurling in counties such as Kildare.

Some people may ask why a statement has only come to light on the Thursday evening before the game, but one prominent member of the Kildare senior hurling team told KildareNow that the players would not raise the issue ahead of the Christy Ring Cup final as it would create a distraction that would upset their chances, while also giving an air of over confidence that they might win the game. The GPA have been preparing this statement since Wednesday through dialogue with players from both counties.

There is no threat of the players on either side refusing to fulfil the fixture, but there is a hope that the GAA might analyse the structure of the competitions ahead of next season. A six-team competition would certainly make more sense than a five-team competition.

Statement on Behalf of Kildare and Antrim Senior Hurling Panels

The players of the Kildare and Antrim Senior Hurling Teams wish to jointly express our discontent with the Joe McDonagh Cup promotion/regelation play-off scheduled for Saturday the 30th of June 2018.
We feel it incumbent on us to highlight the unfairness and inconsideration surrounding this fixture in the hope that we can positively affect change for the future.

The players feel that our opinions in this matter should be heard and considered with our welfare in mind and not disregarded with the simplistic recourse of referencing agreed procedures as this will be perceived by us as a belittling of the respect that should be afforded the players. We are the ones who must go through the stresses and strains of these decisions and wish for our opinions to be valued.

Both panels believe neither team should be required to play in a promotion/relegation play-off for a number of reasons:

1. The Joe McDonagh Cup should remain at 6 teams; a request which is made in the interest of competitiveness, fair-play and equity. The McDonagh Cup has shown everyone how competitive hurling at the lower levels has become and the tier below the Liam McCarthy should encourage teams to achieve higher standards, not shut them out. This is a point which many panels have echoed throughout the year. A 5 team competition is illogical and only serves to make it more difficult for aspiring counties to compete. Antrim should remain in the competition as they did not finish bottom and Kildare should fill the relegated 6th spot.

2. The Christy Ring Cup competition, and by consequence the Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups, have been eroded in standing for a number of years consistently since their inception. For example, the Christy Ring Final used to take place before Liam McCarthy All-Ireland Semi-Finals, which held true to the original intentions of promoting hurling in the weaker counties. This progressive principle has been lost to a point where all these competitions have been downgraded to tiers 3, 4 and 5 and run off in their entirety before the end of June. This does nothing to promote respect for these competitions and this grievance has been aired numerous times in the past.

3. If the system of promotion/relegation matches is being discarded next year, then the time for implementation was this year's competitions. They are unjust, unequal in advantage and unnecessarily stressful. Winning your respective competition must be the end-point and high-point of your competitive year. No further fixtures should ever be considered for any reason and automatic promotion must be the incentive. Promoted teams should be afforded the courtesy and respect of being given a pre-season to prepare for superior opposition and competition. Kildare suffered under a similar situation in 2014 and failed to win the Christy Ring for a further 3 seasons. This could have happened to any team in the competition that year. Manipulating the rules of promotion/relegation in such a fashion can and does have long term ramifications for progression.

4. The scheduling of this fixture exemplifies a blatant disregard for the welfare of the players. Both panels acknowledge that the week turnaround, the date, the timing and the location were not fixed with the best interest of the players in mind. We call for a more transparent, communicative, flexible and equitable process to be considered when fixing matches, especially of this nature and given the circumstances of all players involved.

5. Regardless of the result on Saturday both panels will support each other to retain the 6 team McDonagh Cup format and pursue all possible avenues to make this happen.

We fully accept that this fixture has been agreed upon and set since before the competitions commenced but these are the views of the players. This statement is an appeal to the GAA to listen to the concerns of the players and that increased respect is given to all participants of the great game of hurling.

Regards,

Kildare and Antrim Senior Hurling Panels 2018
28th June 2018

Can't see St Conleths getting a cent in the next 5 years  8)
#newbridgeornowhere

Jinxy

Funds that were previously to be allocated for the redevelopment of St. Conleth's are now resting in the Pairc Tailteann account.
If you were any use you'd be playing.

Kuwabatake Sanjuro

Don't forget the Joe McDonagh cup final clashing with the Munster final too. The GAA will do the same to the footballers when they get their tiers.

Itchy

There's no doubt kildare have tremendous respect for hurling.

Dinny Breen

Quote from: Itchy on June 28, 2018, 11:11:46 PM
There's no doubt kildare have tremendous respect for hurling.

#newbridgeornowhere

BennyCake

The GAA hierarchy have become the Tories.