GAA refixtures come crashing into the April club window

Here we go again. For the second time this month the GAA have announced a raft of refixtures, some of which will come crashing into the April window previously closed up for club purposes only.

However, some of the games postponed in Division Two and Four of the Allianz Football League will only be played on Easter weekend, April 1st, if they are required to determine final positions for the respective divisions. If the finalists for the football league finals are confirmed after round seven this weekend, those deciders will go ahead on Easter weekend.

Also thrown into that mix is the replay of the AIB All-Ireland club hurling final, after Cuala and Na Piarsaigh ended up level in Croke Park on Saturday. That replay is set for O’Moore Park, Portlaoise this Saturday at 5.30, and will form a double-header along with the hurling league Division 2A Final between Westmeath and Carlow ( throw-in time of 3.30), which was postponed this weekend because of snow.

Also postponed was the hurling league Division One quarter-final between Galway and Wexford and that is now set for Saturday at Wexford Park.

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The other remaining quarter-final between Dublin and Tipperary will take place this Sunday in Croke Park at 1.00pm as part of a double-header with the Dublin footballers’ final round meeting with Monaghan.

The hurling league semi-finals – which were due to be played this weekend – will now take place on Saturday, March 31st, while the final is fixed for Sunday, April 8th.

This represents a two-week slippage in the fixtures, as the final was originally scheduled for March 25th, and casts further doubt on the decision of Central Council to retain the hurling league quarter-finals, despite recommendations from the Hurling Development Committee that they be dropped to ease pressure on the games calendar.

This was to be the first year of an April dedicated to club fixtures, only with what now seems like hapless timing, the Siberian winds have wrought havoc with the schedules, beginning with Storm Emma on the first weekend in March.

All the Allianz Football League matches will go ahead as originally scheduled this Sunday.

No date has yet been set for the postponed Division Two matches between Down and Tipperary, and Louth and Meath. The same is the case for the postponed Division Four matches between Laois and Antrim; Waterford and Leitrim; and Wicklow against Limerick.

The GAA says that these games will only be played on Easter weekend (March 31st/Sunday April 1st) if they are required to determine the final positions for their respective leagues. This would push back those respective league finals to the following weekend.

Extremely unhappy

It was originally announced that all four hurling league quarter-finals would be played on Monday, the Bank Holiday, having fallen victim to the snow on the Sunday. Only two of these went ahead, Limerick against Clare at the Gaelic Grounds, and Kilkenny against Offaly in Tullamore, with the Dublin-Tipperary game and the Wexford-Galway game postponed against late on Sunday evening.

It’s unclear however to what extent the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) influenced this decision, having released a statement even later on Sunday evening where they outlined their difficulties with those games going ahead on the Bank Holiday Monday.

According to the GPA, a number of affected squads were “extremely unhappy with the arrangements” of playing on the Bank Holiday Monday: “Notwithstanding the recent inclement weather conditions creating considerable challenges for the CCCC with regard to rescheduling of games, the GPA consider it wholly unacceptable that no consultation was made with players beforehand.

“It would appear that little or no consideration was given to players who have contractual obligations to their employers to fulfil. Furthermore, many of our players have personal or family arrangements for tomorrow which must now be changed at short notice.

“The GPA will be supporting a number of squads who have outlined their commitment not to fulfil their fixtures tomorrow due to players’ unavailability. We have this evening contacted the GAA outlining our support for these squads and requesting that the CCCC find an alternative arrangement for these games.

“In 2017, over 70 per cent of inter county football squads voted against the revised fixture schedule which was subsequently passed at GAA Congress. This condensed calendar season has little or no contingency for adverse weather conditions or suitable periods for rest and recovery of our amateur players. In the interests of welfare of our members, the GPA feels this is something that the GAA needs to review.”

GAA FIXTURES – 

Saturday – 

All Ireland senior club hurling final replay

Cuala (Dublin) v Na Piarsaigh (Limerick), O’Moore Park, 5.30pm

Division 1 hurling league quarter-final

Wexford v Galway, Innovate Wexford Park, 3pm

Division 2A hurling league final

Westmeath v Carlow, O’Moore Park, 3.30pm

Division 2A hurling league final relegation play-off

Armagh v Derry, Ballyshannon, 3pm

Division 3A hurling league final

Louth v Warwickshire, Trim, 1pm

Sunday  

Division 1 football league

Dublin v Monaghan, Croke Park, 3pm

Donegal v Mayo, Ballybofey, 3pm

Kildare v Galway, Newbridge, 3pm

Tyrone v Kerry, Omagh, 3pm

Division 2 football league

Cavan v Tipperary, Kingspan Breffni, 3pm

Clare v Louth, Cusack Park, Ennis, 3pm

Meath v Down, Pairc Tailteann, Navan, 3pm

Roscommon v Cork, Dr Hyde Park, 3pm

Division 3 football league

Longford v Fermanagh, Glennon Brothers Pearse Park, 3pm

Sligo v Derry, Markievicz Park, 3pm

Westmeath v Offaly, TEG Cusack Park, 3pm

Wexford v Armagh, Innovate Wexford Park, 1pm

Division 4 football league

Carlow v Laois, Netwatch Cullen Park, 1pm

Limerick v Antrim, Newcastlewest, 1pm

London v Waterford, McGovern Park, Ruislip, 1pm

Leitrim v Wicklow, Carrick-on-Shannon, 1pm

Division 1 hurling league quarter-final

Dublin v Tipperary, Croke Park, 1pm

Division 3B hurling league final

Leitrim v Lancashire, Ballyconnell, 12pm

Saturday, March 31 st

Division 1 hurling league semi-finals

Kilkenny v Wexford/Galway, Venue TBC

Limerick v Dublin/Tipperary, Venue TBC

Saturday, March 31 or Sunday, April 1

**Division 2 football league final

TBC v TBC, Croke Park

E.T and winner on the day if required

Division 3 football league final

Armagh v TBC, Croke Park

**Division 4 football league final

Carlow v TBC, Croke Park

**If the finalists for the league finals are confirmed after Round 7 fixtures, these finals will go ahead on Easter week end, if not the outstanding games will take place on Easter week end, with the league finals on the 7 April.

Sunday, April 1

Division 1 football league final

Dublin v Galway, Croke Park, 4pm

Sunday,  April 8

Division 1 hurling league final

TBC v TBC, Venue TBC

Fixtures to be confirmed

Division 2 football league

**Down v Tipperary, Pairc Esler, Newry

**Louth v Meath, Gaelic Grounds, Drogheda

Division 4 football league

**Laois v Antrim, O’Moore Park

Waterford v Leitrim, Ardmore

Wicklow v Limerick, Aughrim

**These games will be played on Easter week end if they are required to determine the final positions for their respective leagues, the CCCC will confirm remaining dates in due course.