The parading of Monaghan last week as the latest team training in breach of lockdown rules triggered a familiar set of protocols and public reactions. On Wednesday, Monaghan chairman Declan Flanagan claimed no knowledge of any sessions being held. By mid-morning on Thursday, Monaghan had confirmed a breach had occurred and suspended manager Séamus McEnaney for 12 weeks, making the same fulsome apologies as Dublin before them.
Instead of the GAA’s fixtures schedule dominating their news agenda that day, GAA president Larry McCarthy was making statements about “reputational damage” and regaining public confidence in the GAA 11 days before intercounty teams are permitted to train again. Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers retraced his steps from the previous week, instructing the GAA to drive home to counties the need to observe the rules but stopping short of threatening any rollback of the planned return to play for intercounty teams.
Then the GAA confirmed Dessie Farrell’s 12-week suspension after Dublin’s breach of the training ban and the loss of home advantage for a National League game, drawing a line through the original suspension inflicted by Dublin. That was significant in itself — Farrell’s suspension gets kicked forward a week, pushing his return into early July.
Assuming the GAA also strike down Monaghan’s identical attempt to impose a suspension last week and apply the same punishment handed down to Dublin, Cork and Down, McEnaney’s ban will begin this week at best, detaching him from the team until around July 7, three weeks from the Leinster and Ulster finals. The state of Dublin’s season by then is certain; faced with the eternal swamp of the Ulster championship, Monaghan cannot say the same.
Compared to the nine players gathered recently in Dublin’s name, the number of players and coaches present at Corduff, McEnaney’s home club, according to the Irish Independent totalled around 40 working through training drills and practice games, making the sort of leap from rumour to reality the GAA has dreaded throughout the past year. Monaghan had also popped on to the radar before last week. Last July during a podcast for RTÉ, Oisin McConville made a passing remark about his experience managing Inniskeen in Monaghan that summer and taking calls from McEnaney about club and county players managing workloads.
Advertisement
“The very fact Séamus McEnaney takes the time out to phone around club managers and make sure the load is not too heavy on the intercounty player,” he said, “rather than us all living in a fantasy world where inter-county teams are not training. Someone give me a break, that was never, ever going to happen, nor should it. As long as we can get to some agreement that’s amicable for both intercounty players and management, and bring the clubs into account as well.”
Monaghan subsequently denied any training sessions were taking place. When it became clear elite status for intercounty teams had been revoked last January, McEnaney was among the managers incensed by the decision. “It’s very frustrating and I don’t understand it,” he told the Irish Sun. “We were ‘elite’ last year, as in we could train last October and November. Now when it looks like numbers are going to drop again shortly, we are not elite. Is the entire season now in trouble if we can’t train under level five?”
Set aside the clear wrongdoing by Monaghan, all the conditions were present for a breach. Having assembled a strong backroom team and attacked the job with the same ferocity that made Monaghan relevant again when McEnaney first managed them in 2004, last season collapsed in a heap with a harrowing defeat to Cavan in the Ulster championship. Apart from adding former Dundalk goalkeeper Gary Rogers to the management team since then, McEnaney also secured Donie Buckley, who was marooned by Kerry last spring. Getting Buckley was a significant statement of intent. Training last month sent another message — nothing was being left to chance again, whatever the risk.
There is also the reality of border life in places like Monaghan where vaccines are seen being shared out like milk and honey in towns a field away in Northern Ireland. Churches are open and drew plenty from across the border to Easter services last weekend. Training for GAA clubs in Northern Ireland can resume from tomorrow. Throw in the annoyance at county teams being stripped of their status and the clawing need among elite sportspeople, real or imagined, to keep pace with their neighbours at all costs, and lines between the morality of the law are easily blurred.
But there is a clear, unambiguous line that Monaghan crossed. Whatever about the debate around the injustice of elite status for GAA teams being taken away, or the obvious opportunities ignored over the past two months to allow the resumption of outdoor sport, the past few weeks have again shown the cultural disregard within the GAA for its own rules.
Advertisement
When the madness of files on Monaghan being sent to the Department of Justice and photographers hiding in a cemetery to snap the Dubs at play takes its place in the history of this surreal period, the core problem for the GAA will remain just as it was before, eating at everything good from the inside out. That is where all these stories started. In a week’s time, that is where they will finish.
Counties in the dock
Cork: Twelve-week suspension for manager Ronan McCarthy, loss of home venue for one AFL game
Outcome: McCarthy taking his suspension to the DRA, the GAA’s last court of appeal
Down: Twelve-week suspension for manager Paddy Tally, loss of home venue for one AFL game
Outcome: Tally suspension reduced to eight weeks on appeal
Advertisement
Dublin: Twelve-week suspension for manager Dessie Farrell, loss of home venue for one AFL gameOutcome: Penalties accepted
Monaghan: Twelve-week suspension imposed by Monaghan county board on manager Seamus McEnaney. Further penalties expected this week
