Tyrone and Dublin to ‘battle’ under lights

More important affairs kept me away from Tullamore last Sunday. There’s nothing like early season hurling training to blow the cobwebs away!

Thank Providence then for Setanta which showed the O’Byrne Cup final between Dublin and Laois. Both sides were playing down the significance of the event and emphasising the “experimental” nature of the teams selected to play but don’t let that fool you. It is highly likely they will meet again in the Leinster championship and every psychological advantage is cherished and will be hoarded against the longer days.

Dublin were slightly more experimental than Laois. Of the starting 15 that beat the latter in last year’s Leinster final, only six began although Cullen, Cahill and Henry came on later as subs. Laois lined out with seven of last year’s team with Billy Sheehan introduced from the bench.

How many of either team will see action later in the year is anyone’s guess although several younger players on both sides have started to stake their claim. It certainly did not take long for any of them to get with ‘the programme’, as that awful phrase would have it. It may have been late January but the intensity was high, the hits hard and – despite the four red and 20 yellow cards issued by Derek Fahy – generally fair.

Both Dublin, for the second half of normal time, and Laois, for most of the 20 extra minutes, failed to take advantage of the extra man. It is a dubious advantage and few teams ever employ it to any effect.  Dublin will have been disappointed that they did not go on and win it in normal time but pleased at the manner in which they recovered from the penalty in extra time and established a winning lead with a well taken goal by Kevin Bonner.

For Laois, there was the consolation of having put up a better show than last June and of having uncovered some potentially useful new players like Michael Tierney. One suspects, however, that with both teams back at full strength and fully keyed up for the Championship that Dublin will improve more.

Saturday sees the advent of floodlit football in Croke Park. Floodlighting is now an unremarkable feature of not only inter county but of club fixtures although the jury is still out on it’s suitability for hurling. A theory I will be putting to personal test this week.

When Dublin and Tyrone last met there was a little bit of, ahem, controversy. In my opinion, having been an eye witness, the so-called ‘Battle of Omagh’ was blown out of proportion. There were no injuries to any of the players and no damage done to an otherwise excellent relationship between the two counties and their supporters.

It will be interesting to see what type of teams line out. I would imagine that Dublin will put out their strongest line up which will mean retaining several of the younger players who have distinguished themselves in the O’Byrne Cup – Dermot Connolly and Niall O’Shea being certainties to be selected – but also recalling some of the better known names and faces.

Tyrone are slightly more constrained in that several big names are unavailable. Stephen O’Neill is out suspended after being sent off in the McKenna Cup match against Queens University, and some others will also be missing. On the other hand Mickey Harte will have a strong core of experience and, like Caffrey, be anxious to give some of the younger players who have shone in the McKenna a run out.

Given the importance of the match, from the point of view of the unique occasion, the league points and not least the psychological factor, neither team will be taking it lightly and it promises to be a great occasion.

Of course the only reason that it is taking place is that the lights were installed to facilitate the forthcoming rugby and soccer internationals to be played in Croke Park. Speaking of which Ulster Council Chairperson and GAA vive-President Michael Grennan has re-opened the debate on allowing access to the IRFU and FAI.

Grennan claims that  many GAA members are beginning to realise that “ – not only have we been sold a pup, we have been sold a whole litter.” For his sins against pluralism and inclusion and whatever you are having yourself, Grennan has been roundly assailed as some sort of Neanderthal . Or a “churl”, as one normally astute correspondent put it!

Grennan’s critics miss the point of course. That being that the decision by the 2005 Congress to allow rugby and soccer was made for one year only and on the basis that work would have commenced by now on Lansdowne Road. It has not and that means that it is almost certain that Congress will be asked to extend the opening. Once that happens we may take it that rugby and soccer internationals will be played in Croke Park for as long as the IRFU and FAI want them to.

Congress of course could tell them to take a running jump. That would be the Matt Treacy position on all of this. That is unlikely even though Grennan, who might well contest the Presidency, is not the only leading official strongly opposed and that includes some who have changed their mind on the basis of the points made by Grennan and that financially the GAA does not actually need the internationals to pay what is owed on Croker.

Of course it is possible that sufficient County Boards will change their view on this and that any proposal to extend the opening will be defeated. Hopefully that will happen but I would not be confident.

Meanwhile we just have to enjoy the spectacle next Saturday and find something useful and interesting to do on the days that rugby and soccer are there. I might paint the outside wall and pull up a chair.