A LEADING CONNACHT GAA official believes a New York win in their provincial opener against Roscommon would have caused ‘some kind of row’ in arranging fixtures for the rest of their championship.
And secretary John Prenty also admits that such a success would have imposed a ‘major financial burden’ on the provincial body.
New York came desperately close to causing a huge shock before they lost out by a single point to Roscommon in Gaelic Park earlier this month.
Roscommon now advance to a Connacht semi-final tie with Leitrim on 22 May.
“You’d have to take it at face value that if New York won they’d be playing Leitrim in Carrick on Sunday week, that’s what we’d be hoping,” outlined Prenty.
“I assume we’d have some kind of row going on at the minute if it did happen. But we’ll have to wait until some day it does happen and it will probably cause a problem.
“They get one game in New York in the first round based on the fact that we are twinned with New York.
“We go to London in the first round based on the same fact and as part of the twinning we let them keep the gate. They are big days in New York and in London next week in particular they are absolutely wedged with Mayo.
“I wouldn’t like to say you’d hope New York wouldn’t win but it would be a major financial burden on Connacht if they did win. Some day they will win and we have got to put up with that.
“New York would have logistical difficulties in getting over here to play and this year Leitrim would have had difficulties in getting organised to go over there in a couple of weeks.
“The only thing you can guarantee is that New York will be gung ho to be in it next year. Sligo are going over there will be forewarned and they almost took Galway to extra-time a few years ago and they got badly beaten by teams after that.”
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