DUBLIN LEGEND JOHN O’Leary thinks NAMA could have done something for the sports community if they had accepted Dublin GAA’s bid for the Spawell Complex.
The county board were looking to buy the 35-acre site to develop a cluster of football pitches just off the M50 and there may also have been plans to build a stadium there further down the line.
The property was on the market for €6.5 million and the Dubs are understood to have bid considerably more than that, but NAMA received a higher offer, leaving Dublin’s bid obsolete.
O’Leary feels it’s a missed opportunity to help the community.
“You could be critical. The problem is, no one knows the full story from looking in from the outside.
“There has been lots of opportunities for the likes of NAMA or people who had a property portfolio to do something for the sports community.”
“So I would be going from the GAA angle, I’d be going at it from a sporting angle for the town itself, because there are lots of sports crying out for facilities.”
From a community point of view, it is a pity that NAMA couldn’t do something like that. Something that would be part of the Dublin culture.
A new medium-sized stadium being built in an accessible area beside the M50 has been discussed in recent times, as Parnell Park is too small to host Dublin league games and the cost of opening Croke Park for a relatively small crowd is too high.
O’Leary thinks it would be the right step but it would be a question of economics.
“While there might be a great will to do it, I think economics will be the bottom line.
“And then, if you build it, what’s the sustainability of it after that. Or would you co-locate with some other sport?
“Maybe have it going all the time as a sort of community project for Dublin, with maybe soccer and rugby and other sports using it as well.”
“I think it is inevitable in some way that we need to expand to have something that’s between Croke Park and Parnell Park and can cater for a crowd double the size of Parnell.”
Then you can get your home league games out of Croke Park and maybe some of your home championship games. It’d be interested to see it.
The Dublin hurlers and footballers are only guaranteed six home league games between them each year, so how best to pay off the multi-million euro stadium would come into the question.
O’Leary believes playing home championship matches in the early stages of Leinster would make sense.
“Will it be underused? The answer may well be ‘yes’ unless you can attract other sports or other community projects in it.”
“Should Dublin play some of their championship matches there? Well, I’ve never had any problem with Dublin playing their early championship matches out of Croke Park.”
He’s a goner! Still its his own fault and he hasn’t been anywhere near as good as he was last year, so its not as bad of a loss.
@Coner Willis: it’s a terrible shame but it was a stupid thing to do.
However, I doubt you’ll find a flood of texts into the Sunday game like there was last week from WD supporters about Galways Adrian Touhy. It was a bit sad really
@Seamus McSpud: although his goal was top class, it was still very selfish and should have been passed off earlier. You wouldn’t see a Shefflin or Canning do it, if he had missed it he’d be crucified
G’lad!!
A stonewall red. What was he doing? Not his first time to commit this crime either. Last years Munster final on the bonner maher , he did the same.
@t: pity it wasn’t caught during the game. Result would have been different I think. Hard to take a team playing sweeper winning. First half was like two half decent junior sides playing one another.
@Paul O Mahony: sorry we scored 4-19. Ultra defensive stuff. Clown!
@Sean Healy: i wanted waterford to win and im delighted for ye but ye cant say youre not a defensive team…waterford scored 3-8 AFTER the sending off. And listening to that arseh0le donal og after the match was more of the same scutter
@Sean Healy: Waterford only managed 1-11 before man was sent off. Not exactly shooting the lights out!
@Lord Clanricarde: Oh please give the negativity a rest. Waterford scored 4-23 against Kilkenny with all 15 Kilkenny players on the field… Another 4 goals against Cork today. When teams are reduced to 14 players they don’t always lose and the opposition don’t always score 3-9 against them. In 2004 when Mullane was sent off, I seem to remember Waterford won with 14 men.
@Tom O’Brien: Give it a rest Tom. U do know the score with Kilkenny included an extra 20 minutes?? I was there today and they deserved to win but are a horrid team to watch as a neutral!
@James Quinn: i was there today also and throughly enjoyed the game and I was there for the entire Kilkenny game including the additional 20 minutes. Not all teams score 4-23 when extra time is played either as you know. You are all so negative, jumping on the bandwagon with pundits like Shefflin. Remember Kilkenny didn’t do tactics like dropping half forwards back crowding the area under the dropping ball. Where were you all back then when that was going on. The media weren’t talking about it so you didn’t have any independent thoughts of your own. Or maybe you don’t think teams like Kilkenny do tactics and believe Cody when he says he expects every man to win his own ball. Ya right…
@Tom O’Brien: Give it a rest. You’d swear the likes of Eoin Larkin never scored from what you’re saying. Galway will have no problem beating ye in the final. Hopefully it will be a repeat of 2008 and 3-30 on the scoreboard and Gleeson this time looking on from the sideline after his stupidity but sure nothing new been from Waterford. Ye are the most deluded fans iv ever come across!
@James Quinn: Galway might beat us and if they do they’ll deserve it I’m sure, they look a serious team and I wouldn’t begrudge them. Most of the pundits on here said Cork would win also and they got that spectacularly wrong so I won’t write us completely off just yet. If Gleason isn’t playing, it serves him right, a stupid thing to do when the ball was dead. No excuse there. I rather him not play the final than do something stupid like that in the final and get sent off. I thought it was a fabulous game of hurling today, roll on the final… How much would Waterford have scored against Cork, Kilkenny and Wexford if they didn’t play so negatively in your view?
@Tom O’Brien: not sure what you mean about Eoin Larkin. I don’t recall saying Eoin Larkin had a problem scoring. He scored plenty in his time. Kilkenny played tactics and he scored. Simples. It’s a secret though about the tactics, don’t tell anyone
@Tom O’Brien: Waterford had the stronger bench they would of pulled away regardless of the sending off, real hurling people could see that including the cork manager
Zero sympathy especially with all the focus on the issue at the moment. Deserves to be suspended. Different game had officials not bottled it. How Donal Óg can go on the radio and say there’s no way to prove intent is baffling. Clear intent in this case.
@Jack Ronan: Donal Og is a clown. The best thing they can do is say nothing and hope it blows over.
What a stupid thing to do. When I seen it it’s like, there you go GAA, in your face. He’s screwed up royally
I’d be sceptical about anything happening. He’s the golden boy of hurling and has already been let away with it twice last year and once this year.
Definite red card if it had been seen. Far worse than anything de Búrca or Tuohy did. If his fingers had moved a bit, he wouldn’t have been far off gouging Meade. Gleeson had a great game but that was just incredibly stupid.
GAA have no real choice here.
Well done Waterford, best of luck in the final. The sending off changed the game. Cork looked to be control until then.
I didn’t see the Austin Gleeson incident, but the photo on this site looks damming. Looks like he’ll miss the final. Why he would get involved in this is baffling, especially after the De Burca and Bennett incidents. #braindead!
@Joe Kennefick: How far were Cork in control,just curious?
As a neutral, I’ll be so so disappointed if Gleeson doesn’t play in the final.Such a mindless thing to do. His goal was exceptional, just magic..
@Dave Fingleton: he shouldn’t have been on the field to score it.
@Paul O Mahony: you’re seriously miserable about waterford doing well aren’t you? Sad
An 8 team 60/1 accy let down by Callahan, Cork were a joke.. seemed to go from the backs launching to the forwards for Waterford to mop up, Waterford were easily the worthy winners, quarter final in hurling.. anyones game. The final is Galways!
Using the Galway analogy that he’s not looking at the player, then he’ll got off! Can’t have it every way people.
@Sean Healy: the irony! You were screaming for Tuohy to get banned last week! In any event my analogy of the de burca still stands. Ref didn’t take action which mean Austin should be ok. The other Gleeson is certain to miss out though. It would actually be embarrassing for Waterford if they appeal that!
@Sean Healy: huge difference Sean the ball was dead in Austin’s incident. Tuohy was mid play and running backwards. But just let him play. We won’t have to listen to the moaning for three weeks.
@Sean Healy: Tuohy put he’s hand back an clipped helmet strap. Gleeson put he’s hand into helmet and pulled it clean off Meades head!..He deserves a ban, not his first time!..
@Sean Healy: Sean Gleeson did this deliberately, Touhys was a pure accident in a tussle. Gleeson will be very lucky not to miss the final
@Lord Clanricarde: it’s a stupid rule anyway,very dangerous to take a players helmet off yeah ,what used to happen years ago . Oh yeah no one wore helmets..if ye tolerate this then rubber Hurleys could be next.
If Gleeson had got a red card at the time he or waterford would not have to worry the Final, swings and roundabouts .
Ye four are in for it when the Waterford crowd get home !!
@Gerry Campbell: let them text into the Sunday game.
The GAA worse than golf now for post match video analysis catching foul play after the fact….
@Colm: well done waterford, no sour grapes, but if gleeson plays in the final that rule may as well be torn up.
Probably the single most stupid act I’ve seen a player commit in quite a while. Deserves zero sympathy and he has done his county no favours….
Is he not likely to get away with it?? I thought the incident has to be mentioned in the refs report in order to get a suspension
@Ruairi Kinsella: You’re spot on. This incident was seen by officials and deemed a nothing incident. As a result, unless it features in the referees report the CCCC cannot act on it.
No, I’m 100% he can play the final, you can pull the helmet off your man, just don’t let the ref or linesmen see you! Cork had zero plan for sweeper , no excuse they had plenty of time to think about it.
Cork were hit hard, not in a dirty way but weren’t able to handle that. Every shot was rushed because they where under so much pressure. Cork had no plan B like a lot of teams that play Waterford. They all think they can beat them with their A plan but doesn’t always work. Waterford had some serious homework done. As for Gleason he should miss the final it’s in the rules. It is a pity tho.
Go away ye bitter shower of fools. We’re in the final and that’s it. Hope we go on to win it now. Serious team we have this year. HOW BOU DAH???⚪
@Darragh Kelly: waterfords second team gave Galway a bit of a fright in the league so maybe their first team could go 1 step further
I want to see both Galway and Waterford at full strength in the All Ireland Final. I want to see Austin Gleeson play against the Galway boys and I want to see the top exponents of our glorious game contest this All-Ireland final. I am a neutral who hasn’t missed an All-Ireland final for 37 years and I want to see both teams at full strength, apart from.Conor Gleeson. We need to get rid of those bloody helmets!!!