IT WAS ONE of the biggest GAA controversies in 2015 with Diarmuid Connolly in the firing line after last August’s Dublin-Mayo clash.
But GAA Director-General Paraic Duffy has expressed his sympathy for Connolly after the saga.
Duffy yesterday branded the criticism as ‘lazy headline seeking commentary’ in his annual report and has stated that he believes Connolly gets ‘a tough press sometimes’.
“The point I am making is that the furore wasn’t justified. Now, I did say I was surprised at the decision.
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“I think Diarmuid Connolly maybe gets a tough press sometimes. That was point there. I felt a little bit of sympathy for the player because I felt that it affected his performance and all of that as a result.”
Duffy pointed out that Connolly’s case was the first time in five years that a GAA inter-county player has successfully gone to the DRA.
There was criticism at the time for the number of hearings Connolly had to endure with Duffy admitting there were ‘logistical difficulties’ which resulted in the Dublin player not being cleared until the early hours of the morning of the replay.
“Logistically it was very difficult, but I think that shows we bend over backwards to be fair to people. People went out of their way.
“It may be a bit top heavy, you can say that if you want to, but it is absolutely fair to the player. And any system of justice, fairness is number one, so I wouldn’t apologise for that.
“Certainly you can’t draw a conclusion that it’s not fit for purpose because of those kind of logistical issues or that.”
'I think Diarmuid Connolly maybe gets a tough press sometimes'
IT WAS ONE of the biggest GAA controversies in 2015 with Diarmuid Connolly in the firing line after last August’s Dublin-Mayo clash.
But GAA Director-General Paraic Duffy has expressed his sympathy for Connolly after the saga.
Duffy yesterday branded the criticism as ‘lazy headline seeking commentary’ in his annual report and has stated that he believes Connolly gets ‘a tough press sometimes’.
“The point I am making is that the furore wasn’t justified. Now, I did say I was surprised at the decision.
“I think Diarmuid Connolly maybe gets a tough press sometimes. That was point there. I felt a little bit of sympathy for the player because I felt that it affected his performance and all of that as a result.”
Duffy pointed out that Connolly’s case was the first time in five years that a GAA inter-county player has successfully gone to the DRA.
There was criticism at the time for the number of hearings Connolly had to endure with Duffy admitting there were ‘logistical difficulties’ which resulted in the Dublin player not being cleared until the early hours of the morning of the replay.
“Logistically it was very difficult, but I think that shows we bend over backwards to be fair to people. People went out of their way.
“It may be a bit top heavy, you can say that if you want to, but it is absolutely fair to the player. And any system of justice, fairness is number one, so I wouldn’t apologise for that.
“Certainly you can’t draw a conclusion that it’s not fit for purpose because of those kind of logistical issues or that.”
– First published 06.45
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GAA criticism in Connolly saga was ‘lazy headline-seeking commentary’ – Duffy
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Defence of Diarmo Diarmuid Connolly Gaelic Football Paraic Duffy Dublin