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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Oisin Doherty

Holidays, a wedding and inter-county - the stumbling blocks for All-Ireland final replay

A week-and-a-half on from the controversial conclusion to the Kilmacud Crokes v Glen All-Ireland cub final and the game has been ordered to be replayed by the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC).

An inevitable conclusion in the eyes of many, yet, there is still a long way to go before the game actually gets played.

Kilmacud still have the option to appeal the decision. They likely will, and with that, the saga seems set to continue.

READ MORE: Paddy Andrews 'pissed off' with some comments about Kilmacud Crokes over All-Ireland club final controversy

Even putting the GAA bureaucracy aside, there are many other obstacles that must be overcome before a replay can take place.

For starters, there's the lives of the club players involved. It is understood that one Glen player has his wedding planned for within next couple of weeks. Understandably himself, and no doubt some of his teammates, will be occupied by the frivolities.

It's also understood that a number of players on both sides were planning on taking holidays at the conclusion of the club championship. After a long hard season with their clubs, nobody could begrudge a player finally getting the chance to rest and recover after an arduous campaign.

Some may already be on holidays judging by their Instagram accounts. One such Kilmacud player is seemingly in Dubai, that is if their social media account are to be believed.

And then there is the simple matter of the inter-county season. Many of the players on both sides play with their county.

Take Glen as an example. Conor Glass and Ethan Doherty were both named to start for Derry in their Division Two opener last weekend, just one week on from the Croke Park debacle. Glass is one of the stars of Rory Gallagher's side and will be needed by the Ulster champions over the next few weeks.

Conor Glass in action for Derry last weekend. (Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Lorcan Doherty)

With the inter-county season now in full flow, the Allianz Football League will take take up the majority of fixture space over the next two months. There's only a couple of weekends free between now and the end of March, and one of those is thought to clash with the wedding of the Glen player as previously mentioned.

Where the game is to be played is another topic of discussion. At a CCCC meeting last week, the idea of taking the finals out of Croke Park was put forward. The pitch was in poor condition for this year's hurling and football finals and in 2024, the All-Ireland club finals may not be played at GAA HQ.

A March date seems the most likely outcome at this point, with a return to a date near the traditional St Patrick's Day slot not out of the question.

For now, all eyes will be on Kilmacud to see if they object to the decision to replay the final. More clarity will be shed on the situation once the Stillorgan club make their position known.

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