Common sense prevails as GAA to fix obvious problem arising from All-Ireland football final match-up
Common sense seemed to be ignored for Donegal's semi-final triumph over Meath when both teams lined out in their traditional colours.
4
4
4
It is the referee's call whether a colour clash is significant enough that one or both of the teams is compelled to wear one of their alternative strips.
Ultimately, Paul Faloon did not deem that a necessary step to take. And in fairness many viewers expressed that they had little to no issue distinguishing Donegal players from Kerry counterparts.
But it was a problem for some portions of the TV as well as Croke Park audience.
Other sports such as rugby union have taken more of a proactive approach in recent years to be cognisant of those who suffer from colour-blindness around fixtures such as Wales against Ireland.
So plenty of GAA enthusiasts will likely appreciate a needless colour clash being avoided altogether.
On Tuesday Andrew Moynihan of the Kerry's Eye newspaper reported that he's heard Jack O'Connor's men will don their dark blue jerseys on the day.
In a follow-up exchange on X he was asked by one follower 'Is this official?'
To which, he replied: "Believe so Roman. County Board came to a decision on it."
It's worth noting that when these two counties met in the 2014 showpiece neither of them adopted a secondary kit.
This arguably contributed to one of the most forgettable All-Ireland finals in living memory as the Aristocrats edged McGuinness' first batch by 2-9 to 0-12.
'Easiest interview I've ever had' jokes RTE GAA host after pundits go back and forth before Meath vs Donegal
You could even argue that goalkeeper Paul Durcan's oddly errant kick-out straight to Kieran Donaghy for his goal may have been partly due to him blending in with the opposition.
In any case, it seems the GAA is starting to move with the times on this dilemma with this set to be the first football final since the 2010 meeting of Cork and Down where one side won't be in their primary kit.
REF CALL
Tuesday also brought with it news over who will referee the biggest game in the Gaelic football calendar as Brendan Cawley will take charge for the first time.
The Kildare native has been on the inter-county officiating circuit since 2019 and is a widely respected figure across the game.
His line umpires on the day will be Monaghan's Martin McNally and David Coldrick of Meath, with McNally also set to serve as standby referee.
Last year saw Cawley oversee Galway's narrow semi-final triumph over Donegal. This time around McGuinness' men had a far easier time of it as they demolished Meath 3-26 to 0-15 on Sunday.
In the wake of their 2024 defeat to Galway, McGuinness lamented their failure to convert nine of 14 scoring opportunities in the second half.
But having seen his team hit 3-13 after the change of ends at a packed Croke Park, there were no such complaints this time after they ruthlessly disposed of Meath's attempt to take another major scalp.
The Royals have already tasted unlikely Championship victories over Dublin, Kerry and Galway this summer. Hopes of a first All-Ireland final appearance in 24 years were therefore high.
But Robbie Brennan's superb first season at the helm was brought to an end in chastening fashion. Even at half-time, things looked ominous for Meath as they trailed by 0-13 to 0-8.
With a Sam Maguire decider against Kerry to come on Sunday week, Donegal could even afford to withdraw 35-year-old talisman Michael Murphy with 25 minutes still to play.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
13 minutes ago
- BBC News
Brady queries Rooney's 'work ethic' at Birmingham
NFL legend Tom Brady has questioned Wayne Rooney's attitude during the ex-England captain's tenure as manager of Birmingham City, where Brady is a minority a new Amazon Prime documentary series, due to air on Friday, seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady tells colleagues: "I'm a little worried about our head coach's work ethic," before adding: "I mean, I don't know, I don't have great instincts on that."Brady, who also calls Blues players "lazy and entitled" in the series, made his comments about Rooney following a visit to the club's training ground in November conversations between the former quarterback and then manager Rooney appear awkward. In one exchange, the ex-Everton and Manchester United striker tells his employer about some of the cultural problems he perceives at the club."Why they're playing in the Championship and not the Premier League," Rooney says, "is because... we've all passed a ball, kicked the ball and run, but it's a focus, concentrated for 90 minutes."In scenes that follow, Brady is filmed watching a training session, saying: "We've got a long road ahead."The retired quarterback - widely considered the best player in NFL history - became a minority owner in the club in August 2023, following a takeover the previous month by Knighthead Capital Management LLC, co-founded by financier Tom club were relegated to League One in the first year under their new ownership after going through seven managers in 10 months after Brady arrived in 2023, manager John Eustace was controversially replaced by Rooney, with the Blues sitting sixth in the Championship. However, with the club then plummeting to 20th in the table, Rooney only lasted 83 days in charge at St Andrew's. At the time, Rooney said that he did not feel 13 weeks was "sufficient to oversee the changes that were needed". During the series, Blues fan Paul Collins speculates that the appointment had been based on a desire by the ownership to hire "one of the most recognisable English footballers of the last generation" in order to "put a load of eyes on Birmingham City".Collins asks: "What qualifies Wayne to manage Birmingham City? Nothing."Brady also reflects on the owners' disastrous first season in charge."There was some good advice that I got that was like, 'listen, don't go in there and make these big, sweeping changes - you guys have time'," he said."And of course we make sweeping changes." Relegated players 'lazy and entitled' - Brady Relegation from the Championship at the end of 2023-24 meant Birmingham dropped out of English football's top two tiers for only the third time in their the series, Brady reflects on where things went wrong, blaming the players."Well we've already changed the coach, so it's really the players because the coach doesn't go out there and put the ball in the goal," he says. "They were lazy, they were entitled and when you're lazy and entitled, you don't have much of a chance to succeed."We've got to change all the people that are associated with losing, so I think this summer there's going to be a lot of people gone."That summer, the club invested £30m in transfers, an unprecedented figure for League following year, Birmingham broke the Football League record for most points in a season, finishing top of League One with a tally of 111. Brady struggles to find the Blues' training ground During one scene, on his way to visit Birmingham's training ground, Brady's manager Ben Rawitz jokes about the NFL legend struggling to locate the club's Elite Performance and Innovation Centre on a map."That's the owner right there, he doesn't know where his training facility is," Rawitz says, later comparing the facilities to a "high school".In another scene, during a separate visit to the city, Brady asks a colleague "What's the other team here?", following up by asking "is Aston Villa in the Premier League?". Ambition 'bigger' than Wrexham's - Wagner There are comparisons throughout the series to fellow Championship club Wrexham, who have enjoyed three consecutive promotions since the Welsh club's £2m takeover in February 2021 by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob dismisses the idea that the two clubs should be considered in the same bracket."They've done a spectacular job at bringing attention to a small club," he says."I think what we have here is a club that's already a very big club and so, from our perspective, it's a bit different. The ambitions for us in the context of what we'll build is bigger than what they'll do at Wrexham."In a separate scene, he says: "Our target's not Wrexham. Our target is to play Premier League football against Villa."
The Sun
13 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘That's f***ing stupid' – Tom Brady snaps at Birmingham aide in row about how David Beckham should be treated
DAVID BECKHAM gave Tom Brady a lesson in English football fans' banter when he watched Birmingham take on Wrexham. The England and Manchester Unite d legend was a special guest at St Andrew's as the two teams clashed in League One last September. 4 4 NFL hero Brady, part-owner of Championship club Birmingham, sat with Beckham as the Blues won 3-1. And the two feature in a fly-on-the-wall documentary Built in Birmingham: Brady & the Blues that drops on Amazon Prime on Thursday. Beckham, 50, tells Brady: 'Your fans are singing about sheep s***gers — that's what they say about Welsh people!' The two have a clear bond — which is shown in the second of five episodes charting the American's involvement with Birmingham over the past two seasons. Ex-New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brady, who won a staggering seven Super Bowls, has huge respect for the six-time Prem-winner. Before the game, Brady suggests to co-owner Tom Wagner that they organise a gift bag with a club sweater, hoodie, scarf and hat for the 115-cap ex-England star. Yet Wagner is told by one of his St Andrew's aides that as Beckham has no affiliation with Birmingham, that it would be a faux pas. But Brady, 47, retorts: 'That's f***ing stupid! Give him a gift bag to take home! 'It's a sweet thing. He doesn't have to wear it.' But one person not impressed with his gift was Wrexham's Hollywood co-owner Rob McElhenney. Tom Brady's ex-wife Gisele Bundchen shares rarely-seen photos of new baby she had with Jiu-Jitsu instructor lover 4 The actor is presented by Brady with a Birmingham shirt on the pitch before kick-off bearing No 12 and 'McElhenney' on the back. He says: 'What am I supposed to do with that?' But Brady does please his fellow American by signing an NFL card for his son. And the actor is gushing in his praise for Brady — telling him: 'You're one of five people in the world any locker room will listen to.' Birmingham went on to win the title and promotion back to the Championship, earning an EFL record of 111 points during the season. 4
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Chelsea close to completing £37m deal for Ajax full-back Jorrel Hato with Dutchman set to travel to London to finalise transfer
Chelsea are on the verge of signing Jorrel Hato from Ajax for £37million to compete with Marc Cucurella at left back in Enzo Maresca 's team. The 19-year-old talent, who can also play as a centre back if needed, has already had personal terms agreed for more than a week. Both clubs have also now come to an agreement following lengthy negotiations, with it understood that Hato has been given permission to travel to London to finalise his transfer. Cucurella played a total of 2,000 minutes in the 2024-25 season which culminated in Maresca's men winning the Club World Cup in the United States. Blues insiders have been key to find help for him to avoid any uncessary injuries moving forward. Chelsea have tracked Hato for several months. Mail Sport first mentioned their interest in the teenager at the start of May. The Netherlands international came through the Ajax academy after starting his blossoming career at Sparta Rotterdam. He has captained Ajax. Hato's arrival will continue another busy summer of transfers for Chelsea as he follows Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and more in signing. Estevao Willian, the Brazilian wonderkid, is also set to join his new team-mates at Cobham once their holidays are complete. They are expected back for pre-season training as of August 4, it is understood.
