It was an eventful weekend on and off the field ...

Gavin cries foul

Jim Gavin was less than impressed with the antics of some Kerry players during yesterday's Division 1 clash in Killarney: "A lot of the opposing players seemed to put him (Kinsella) under pressure."

As is the norm in Dublin v Kerry games, neither team was prepared to give an inch and referee Eddie Kinsella felt it necessary to dish out one red, four black and seven yellow cards.

Gavin and the Dublin supporters who made the trip to Killarney might not agree but the Laois official enjoyed a fine outing in the circumstances.

Trying times for Kildare

"Kildare is certainly a county where expectations rise very quickly. If you lose one or two games all of a sudden it can be overly dramatic at times."

Those were the words of Lilywhite manager Jason Ryan at the launch of the Allianz Leagues at Croke Park back in late January. Following defeats to Down, Meath and Westmeath, Ryan and his players are now staring at the ignominy of a second successive relegation in the league.

And, with Dublin on their side of the draw in Leinster, even as this early stage of the year it looks as though the qualifiers will provide Kildare with the best opportunity of salvaging something from their season.

No rest for Roscommon, Meath, Galway and Laois

Two Division 2 games - Roscommon v Meath and Galway v Laois - fell victim to the weather yesterday. Dr Hyde Park and Tuam Stadium both failed pitch inspections and the Croke Park fixture-makers today announced that the games are rescheduled for March 22.

That means there will be no rest weekend for these counties between now and the final round which is due to be played on Sunday, April 5.

John Evans (Roscommon), Mick O'Dowd (Meath), Kevin Walsh (Galway) and Tomas O Flatharta (Laois) all face a difficult task trying to keep their players fresh and injury free in the face of such a hectic schedule.

Is TV having a negative impact on attendances?

There was very little debate on the ontroversial Sky Sports TV deal inside the walls of The Slieve Russell Hotel at Congress.

Instead, in an effort to get the turnstiles clicking at a more frequent rate, the top table could look at reducing the number of live games on television when the media rights are next up for negotiation in 2017. New GAA President Aogan O Fearghail and Director General Padraic Duffy are singing from the same hymn sheet on the matter.

"Every Sunday there are two matches live and they are getting less and less people going to our games. My view is we certainly should review it," O Fearghail said.

Farewell to a Tipp legend

Legend is a term often used loosely these days but in the case of Tipperary's Tony Reddin it can be said without fear of contradiction.

Goalkeeper on the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984 and the Hurling Team of the Millennium in 2000, Tony passed away last night at the age of 95 following a short illness. He had the distinction of representing both his native Galway and Tipperary in a glittering career that yielded three All-Ireland, three Munster and five National League medals.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

Tweet

Most Read Stories