GAELIC GAMES:DUBLIN manager Pat Gilroy has described the decision by the GAA's annual Congress last weekend to reinstate semi-finals for Division One of the National League as a farcical and illogical development that will be detrimental to club fixture schedules, writes Gavin Cummiskey.

“From my playing days I don’t think anyone particularly looked forward to semi-finals in the league,” said Gilroy. “It kind of makes the league a bit of a strange thing, that, in the middle of the last game you could be making a semi-final if you win by two points or be relegated if you lose by two. You have four teams on top and two on the bottom so there’s only one team in the middle and I think it makes a bit of a farce of the league because the team that is fourth could have five points in the league and still win the league.

“I don’t understand the logic of reintroducing semi-finals. It’s difficult enough for clubs to fit in games. We’re very happy for them to get games and if you introduce semi-finals now where are they going to fit their games, it doesn’t seem practical to throw in extra fixtures at this time of year in the National League.”