O'Donoghue disappointed with fixture schedule

A request to keep this weekend free of hurling action for players on the Meath junior team ahead of next week's All-Ireland JFC final clash with Kerry have fallen on deaf ears according to manager Conor O'Donoghue.

O'Donoghue was fuming at a decision by the Meath Competitions Control Committee (CCC) to fix hurling championship games this weekend despite a preemptive request submitted to the Co Board by the junior management a number of weeks ago to have this weekend free.

It was O'Donoghue's plan to hold a training camp on Saturday ahead of next week's final, but those plans have had to be scuppered with players involved in hurling championship games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

'We did ask a few weeks ago and we preemptively put this forward,  that if we could do some quality work with the players on the weekend before the All-Ireland final that would be great,' O'Donoghue told the Meath Chronicle.

'I really would appeal to the Meath CCC to just give us the best chance on this one.

'We are playing against a county that are equipped for success the whole way up and they have support to achieve that success. We have a little bit of work on some quarters to catch up with Kerry and this is probably a symptom of that.

'I really would appeal to the CCC, even at this late stage, to have another look at these fixtures and I know the clubs have been very supportive the whole way through.

'I have been a club manager myself, there is a CLG rule the whole way down that says you have 20 days for a senior All-Ireland final, 13 days for all other championship games and you have seven days, which isn't a big ask, for an All-Ireland final at all other levels, but that is not being adhered to.'

One of the most frustrating aspects of this whole process for O'Donoghue is that they made their request in good time, but have received no correspondence from the CCC other than reading the list of fixtures.

'I don't know why we aren't getting the seven days because we have asked for it. We didn't get a response to our request,' confirmed the manager.

'I wouldn't say there has been no communication. I had a chat with some people, our proposal was put forward and we put together a very specific email with our request, but we got no response to that request.

'My assumption, as it turns out wrongly, was that there wouldn't be an issue having laid the groundwork, but we now face into a situation where we are trying to do a training camp tomorrow (Saturday) and we won't have seven lads for a variety of reasons.

'So now we are left with Tuesday night, will we get a good session in? Maybe, maybe not. Will we have all our players at that stage? I don't know.

'It is not an environment conducive to achieving the maximum for the group and that is what is really frustrating.'

While obviously disappointed and still holding out hope beyond hope that the CCC will postpone the rest of the games this weekend involving players on the junior football panel, O'Donoghue wanted to emphasise that he has received a lot of support from certain quarters and he believes solutions can still be found.

'We have got a lot of support from so many quarters and there is so much of what you would expect to happen happening. With lads like Sean Kelly and Seamus Kenny the support we have received behind the scenes has been tremendous,' said O'Donoghue.

'Realistically the fixtures have flowed the whole way through our run and we were happy to do that. I have been a club manager myself over the last five years, but we don't have access to all of our players this weekend because of the hurling championship.

'I was in the opposite situation last year when I was the Dunboyne manager and our fixture that had been in place for months and months was pulled at the last minute and what we were told told by the CCC at the time was that there was a 13-day rule for championship games.

'Whether there is or there isn't a 13-day rule, this is seven days before an All-Ireland final. Dunderry are playing on Sunday morning, so that gives us just five days to work with some of the lads that are involved, that is just not fair.

'I want to be crystal clear on this because I am a club manager and I have been for five years. No player will be asked not to play no matter what. They have to play championship with their clubs, I firmly believe that.

'There will be no pressure from me on those players, but the fixtures themselves shouldn't be there. It shouldn't be that difficult to put those games the far side of next weekend on the Tuesday and then whatever commensurate football fixtures.

'To be fair, there have been a lot of people who have worked really hard to represent us, but no luck. We had made plans, but now those plans are totally disrupted,' concluded the Dunboyne man.

Meath Co Board secretary Francis Flynn confirmed to the Meath Chronicle this morning that the CCC has plenary powers when it comes to making fixtures and the Executive don't interfere in that process.

'The CCC make the fixtures, whioch is there job, and management don't get involved. The CCC has plenary powers over fixtures.

'We did pass on the request (from the junior management) to the CCC and asked them to look at it, it also came up at a management meeting last night (Thursday) and the Chairman of the CCC explained that there is a tight schedule to get the championships finished and that they couldn't push them back,' confirmed Flynn.

Meath play Kerry in the All-Ireland JFC final in Portlaoise on Saturday 5th August, 3pm. Check out next Tuesday's Meath Chronicle for comprehensive preview coverage of the big game.