GAA mop-up: Dubs frozen out while Cork and Kerry up and running

The weather hit a lot of fixtures over the weekend but some new-look sides impressed nevertheless.

THE GAA SEASON was slated to kick off in earnest this weekend. The main talking points were:

Travelling Dublin football supporters were really let down by officials yesterday. Their game with Westmeath was cancelled not long before throw-in after the O’Byrne Cup fixture had initially been scheduled for Cusack Park, Mullingar, but was moved to St Loman’s Lakepoint Park, when it became clear that Cusack Park would not be playable. Ultimately it was cancelled anyway when the pitch failed to thaw.
The sides will return to Mullingar tomorrow evening to get their O’Byrne Cup campaign underway at the second time of asking. Neither manager was happy at the 11th hour decision.
But Davy Fitzgerald, in contrast, “very well pleased’’ after his experimental panel scored victories over Carlow and Waterford IT in games played within hours of each other on Saturday.
A new-look Cork side coped without the bulk of their All-Ireland winners as they cruised past Waterford IT in yesterday’s McGrath Cup preliminary round tie in Páirc Ui Rinn.
All six Dr McKenna cup games fixed for Saturday night and yesterday afternoon were called off, while matches in the O’Byrne Cup and the FBD League also fell foul of the conditions. Meath’s date with UCD was also called off and refixed for tomorrow night in Navan with throw-in at 7.30.
An unfamiliar-looking Kerry were reeled in but held on against IT Tralee. The students closed the gap to one point in injury-time in Tralee yesterday.