Pitch inspections

[FermPundit]

Just in the door from Carrick on shannon where the match was postponed at 2pm. I know it's not that far from Fermanagh to Carrick but if the pitch was playable this morning and there wasn't much rain around in the interim then why was it deemed unplayable only a few hours later? It annoys me that officals do not take into consideration travelling supporters. If the decision over the condition of the pitch is left soley to the referee, who may only arrive to the ground an hour or so before throw in, then surely the GAA should have in place a system of pitch inspection which ensures that the paying public are not inconvenienced.

[J70]

Its difficult in the unpredictable Irish weather. I suppose they thought the predicted conditions would be enough to dry it sufficiently for the game to go ahead. Maybe that particular referee wasn't willing to take responsibility for allowing the game to go ahead on what he considered unsuitable conditions, despite the earlier call. Frustrating, obviously, but anyone travelling to a match when the pitch is subject to inspection is taking a chance. I'm not sure the alternative of unnecessarily postponing matches by making the cancellation too early is any better, given the problems with club/county conflicts and fixture congestion in the GAA.

[Fermanaghandsam]

It was an absolute disgrace today, just not good enough. Having a crowd of supporters standing outside the pitch, half hour before the game not knowing whether it is on or not is not even close to being good enough. There was little or no rain in Carrick all morning, so why call the match off at 2 and not earlier on, before people travelled to the game. The GAA have no regard for the supporters  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(P.S From talking to a few players, I hear the pitch was actually not to bad, with anyone I talked too, saying they have often played in much worst conditons, could the conditions have being worst than the McKenna Semi in Omagh, i doubt it)

[ExiledGael]

Totally agree, not good enough here. It is no surprise to anyone the pitches across the country are drenched. Surely a morning pitch inspection would be a reasonable enough thing to expect. No regard for fans or players who left Fermanagh at 10am this morning.
Notice a game in Clare fixed for Ennis was changed late on forcing Carlow to travel to West Clare to play the game. Surely some sort of contingency could be thought up, if possible. Or just make the decision before the fans gather at the gates.
The weather argument has nothing to do with it in this particular case, it's been shit all week, nothing has happened in the last 12/24 hours to affect the ground. This ground was obviously unplayable yesterday and this morning.
Waste of time for everyone involved, except the officials who are not prepared to use their time and brains.
In this day and age this is pathetic.