DUBLIN AND MAYO GAA chiefs now face a major fixtures headache in completing their 2016 club championship schedule after yesterday’s All-Ireland final draw.
Dublin officials have confirmed this morning that they have deferred senior football championship games to the weekend of 8-9 October. Dublin are currently at the second round stage in that championship with the eight games originally pencilled in to take place from 28 September-1 October.
There are senior hurling group games in Dublin scheduled for this weekend that involve some members of Jim Gavin’s squad. Those players will be unavailable and it remains to be seen whether the clubs will plough on without them.
The senior football champions in Dublin are due to make their bow in Leinster at the quarter-final stage against the Carlow representatives on 13 November.
Dublin still have enough time to complete their championship but only have one spare weekend if replays are required and the club players will have little respite with games on consecutive weekends if they keep winning.
The situation in Mayo is far trickier and it looks like they will need some assistance from the Connacht Council if they are to produce a club for this year’s senior provincial football championship.
Currently the Mayo champions are due to play in the quarter-final in Connacht on 30 October.
But after the replay on Saturday 1 October, they only have three weekends to complete their senior football championship. Currently Mayo have four stages left to produce a winner with the last round of group games, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all to be played.
The issue of club games was already in the spotlight in Mayo after their All-Ireland semi-final win over Tipperary with 11 games postponed to aid their All-Ireland final preparations.
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