Before Dublin secretary John Costello took aim at Donegal (for taking aim at Dublin) Horan recognised him as the next speaker and asked that a microphone be brought to him (All-Ireland senior champions are given pride of place at the top of the room).

“Although, I don’t think he’ll need one,” quipped Horan.

However, the good-natured banter soon ended as Costello slammed Donegal’s motion as “mean-spirited” and “divisive” and Donegal returned fire at both him and Kelly who had described their proposal as “very negative”.

Kelly later explained his five-in-a-row comments were tongue-in-cheek but then he had also said if a team aspired to beat Dublin it should be to do so in Croke Park. Clearly considering his own county in that regard, he was coming from a position of strength.

Kerry football doesn’t exhibit inferiority, as John B Keane once fondly declared.

Donegal should have expected some heat considering the way they phrased the motion. It, as Horan stated, was too ‘pointed’. Costello was also right in saying it targeted Dublin. For making it personal, it lost flavour as it did for the financial repercussions of Jim Gavin’s team downgrading their home to four kilometres north-east of Croke Park or the likes of Kildare and Meath not having an alternative base during St Conleth’s Park and Páirc Tailteann’s upcoming renovations.

But what Donegal succeeded in doing was lighting a torch. This year, the Connacht champions could carry it on. They too will end up playing two Super 8 games away from home should Dublin win Leinster as they will be in the same group. Mayo backed Donegal on Saturday and Galway, we presume by the words of their manager and a player, also did so.

After losing to Dublin in last August’s All-Ireland semi-final, Kevin Walsh stressed that “when you’re playing Dublin in Croke Park, there’s a lot of factors against you.” Last month, he called for semi-finals to be taken out of Croke Park: “I would suggest that the All-Ireland semi-finals should be moved out of Croke Park. Thirty-thousand people in Croke Park can make the place feel empty.”

Later in the month, Declan Kyne backed his boss. “Dublin are so used to playing in Croke Park, maybe it’s a slight advantage of them. Whereas teams like us wouldn’t be playing every weekend in it. It definitely makes a difference. Maybe semi-finals at least should be played at a neutral venue.”

He added: “Even for the Super 8s in Croke Park it’s a big advantage for Dublin. They had two home games there last year.”

Clearly, Galway wanted to get a message out and if they do retain the Nestor Cup all eyes will be on them to see if their county board follow the example of Donegal and seek a meeting with the GAA’s top brass about the venue for their Round 2 game against Dublin.

Certainly, Donegal could have gone about their business better but they were right, there is an imbalance. In his document supporting and defending the Super 8, its designer, former GAA director general Páraic Duffy, addressed the complaint that Dublin would play two of their group games at Croke Park by pointing out they previously didn’t play one in the All-Ireland series outside the stadium. Yet that didn’t take into account what that meant for their opponents who don’t get to play twice in the same venue. Duffy also said if the GAA was all about money they would not propose that eight of the 12 group games take place away from Croke Park but that failed to consider Dublin’s home game would obviously be played there.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner on Saturday, Dublin chairman Seán Shanley made some valid points, one of them being the cost-prohibitive price of land in the capital. “Central funds weren’t going to go into another stadium in Dublin,” he added. That line said more about how the GAA view Dublin than Dublin view themselves, their residence in Croke Park suits them.

They are the GAA’s Norm Peterson. Everybody knows their names and the financial department are so glad they came to Croke Park and their seat at the bar, you might say their dressing room, is theirs only.

“Have you any home to go to?” It’s not a cry Dublin will hear from the landlord any time soon but that groan from the rest of the bar won’t go away.

john.fogarty@examiner.ie

GAA Podcast: 'Selective amnesia' in Cork, the old Tommy Walsh returns, and is Kiely ok with defeat?

Deflating setback for GPA

It was quite the defeat for the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) in Congress on Saturday as they convinced just 15% of delegates they should have representation on the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) when organising inter-county games.

The result means the GPA can’t submit the proposal again for another three years.

How did the GPA fall so out of favour? The argument made by Jarlath Burns, one that was made here last year, seemed to make the biggest impression on delegates.

Basically, the GPA had shown an element of disrespect to the playing rules committee and Central Council when they ‘leaked’ their annoyance to the hand-pass rule being applied to the Allianz Leagues, despite having a member on each committee involved (David Collins on the playing rules body and chairman Seamus Hickey on Central Council).

If GPA chief executive Paul Flynn was going to kick off about temporary rules when their Association had a man on the committee that devised and endorsed them, then what would stop him doing the same if the CCCC made a decision not to players’ liking?

Funding negotiations between the GPA and GAA later this year will be followed closely but the dependency may soften the former’s cough. The same mightn’t be said for the Club Players Association (CPA) who appeared to be considerably browned off by GAA president John Horan’s insinuation that they haven’t forwarded fixtures calendar suggestions.

According to the CPA, three “detailed fixture proposals” were sent to GAA director general Tom Ryan last month and they accused Horan of duplicity.

The CPA intend folding up their tents as soon as they are satisfied the fixtures have been fixed but will that be anytime soon?

Gallagher and Hyland working wonders

The 2019 Manager of the League competition (we’re starting an unofficial one) looks a straight shoot-out between Rory Gallagher and Terry Hyland. Andy McEntee is well-placed and Peter Keane has made a strong start to his Kerry reign but nothing has been as impressive as the deeds of the men in charge of Fermanagh and Leitrim.

Fifth in Division 4 the past two seasons and seventh in 2016, Cavan man Hyland could hardly have been coming from a lower base but what he has done has been nothing short of spectacular.

Leitrim still require two more points to earn promotion but given how they have regularly turned around games in the second half (they’ve been behind at half-time in all four outings) they look well placed to achieve that feat against London in Carrick-on-Shannon this weekend.

Gallagher’s work in bringing Fermanagh into the promotion race for Division 1 has been outstanding.

Without so many forward options, it’s a stunning success that they find themselves in second place. Criticism of their defensive style means Gallagher doesn’t get the credit he deserves but he has had no choice but to be ultra-pragmatic and how that approach has paid off. While two of their last three matches are away— against Armagh and Meath — they have nothing to fear.