Monaghan boss slams New York semi-final inclusion as an 'absolute disgrace'
Monaghan hurling manager Arthur Hughes has labelled the decision to hand New York a Lory Meagher semi-final spot without playing a game "an absolute disgrace" ahead of their clash in Mullingar on Saturday.
At Congress in February, a proposal from the Central Council and the CCCC passed allowing Richie Hartnett's side into the latter stages of the competition.
However, speaking in Gaelic Life, Hughes took aim at officials and felt it was another blow for the five counties, which didn't include Monaghan, who were close to being excluded from the National League following a GAA suggestion two years ago.
"I think it's an absolute disgrace. It's not that long ago the GAA were trying to get rid of five counties in Ireland from playing in the National League, and now the next thing they've done is bringing in New York.
"It's an absolute joke in my opinion – you don't know what you're coming up against, what level they're at, and it's completely unfair to just fly a team into the semi-finals. If you're going to participate in a competition, you should be there from the start."
Monaghan came through the group stages with one loss in five games and a late fightback against Longford last time out securing the draw needed to progress to the semi-finals with Cavan awaiting the winner.
New York come into the game with a number of notable names in their panel, not least former Galway player Johnny Glynn, and won the Connacht League for the first time in January 2024 after defeating Mayo in the final.
The New York footballers are also once again included in this season's Tailteann Cup where, as has been the case since 2023, they will enter at the preliminary quarter-final stage having been handed a quarter-final spot in the initial knock-out tournament in 2022.
In defence, now former Fermanagh manager Joe Baldwin, who won the Lory Meagher Cup last year, expressed sympathy for how the change in format has impacted Monaghan but said it was hard to see how else New York could be accommodated.
"New York have a right, Gaels have a right, to play in it," Baldwin told RTÉ Sport.
"I suppose it's the only way to do it really. It's an amateur organisation and travelling back and forth to New York, it's not feasible.
"From a Monaghan point of view, it, it gets them another game, and maybe the game could be good for them, maybe the rest could be good for them. Only time will tell.
"But if New York are as strong as people are saying, it's going to be really disappointing for Monaghan.
"We knew about it at the start of the year. So it's one of those things you just have to get on with.
"But I'm hoping that Monaghan can get a result this weekend and we get a Cavan-Monaghan final."
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