HELEN O'ROURKE, the president of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association, has criticised the politicians who protested earlier in the week over the GAA's decision to put the women's final between Monaghan and Laois back a week to make way for the men's replay.

"I would like to see all these people who complained actually coming to see some of our matches. Frances Fitzgerald was very vocal about it, in a wrong way, but I'd never heard of her before as a supporter of the game - I certainly never remember seeing her at any matches," said O'Rourke.

"As far as we were concerned there was no controversy. We were fully aware that if there was a draw in the men's final we would be put back a week. We usually play our final a week later anyway but we took a chance on having it a week earlier because we felt it was natural that all the Gaelic finals should follow each other.

"We approached the GAA about us playing before the men's replay because it would have been a bonus for us and a brilliant way of promoting the game.

"But there was a lot to onside?.

We had to think about the two, junior teams involved, Longford and Clare, because they wouldn't have been able to play their final in Croke Park and that wouldn't have been fair on them."

O'Rourke was also heavily critical of RTE for their decision not to give the women's final same day coverage on the channel highlights of the game will be shown on the following weekend's Sports Stadium.

"Television coverage has always been an issue between ourselves and RTE. For years we've been looking for coverage on a Sunday night but all they say to us is `why don't you play your final on the same day as camogie', which is ridiculous," said O'Rourke.

"The pitches for the two games are different sizes which means after one final you would have to have the pitch marked again - they're two totally different sports. They just try to use that argument as an escape route and they've never actually sat down with us to discuss it.

"They say their Sunday Game coverage ended last week but they were able to find a slot for the men's replay. If they wanted to find a slot for us they could have. They just don't take us seriously," she added.

Government ministers have also been under fire because none was able to confirm that they would be attending tomorrow's final. O'Rourke, however, says that 90 per cent of the ministers, as well as President Mary Robinson, had promised to attend the match on its original date but are now unable to because of the rescheduling of the final.

"They were fully committed to going last week, that I will say, but they have very busy schedules with things pencilled in, and it can't be helped that most will be unable to go. Mary Robinson will be out of the country from today but she was going to attend the match on its original date."