Why Dublin are praying for Sunday slot in Tuesday morning's Championship draw
Dublin are anxiously waiting to discover if the GAA’s fixture-makers are prepared to throw them a lifeline this morning. Because Ger Brennan’s championship exile could hinge on one thing — whether the Dubs are handed a Saturday or Sunday fixture in round 2B.Dublin have stumbled into football’s last-chance saloon after their shock Leinster final defeat and now find themselves in the second-tier draw alongside the seven other round one losers — including All-Ireland champions Kerry. But right now, the identity of the opposition is almost secondary.Timing is everything. Brennan’s controversial 12-week suspension officially expires at midnight on Saturday, June 13. Which means if the CCCC schedule Dublin’s next game for Sunday, June 14, the banned boss can walk straight back into the dug-out. If they fix it for the Saturday instead, Brennan remains sidelined.And already there are growing calls for Dublin to stop accepting the punishment quietly. Wicklow manager Oisin McConville believes Brennan should have ignored the ban altogether for the Louth defeat. “If I was Ger Brennan at the weekend, I would have arrived in Croke Park and I would have stood on the sideline,” McConville declared. “With the blessing of the county board. I would have went to the county board during the week and I would have said, ‘It’s time to make a stand.’”The sense of grievance around Brennan’s punishment continues to simmer inside Dublin circles — especially after comparisons were drawn with Donegal boss Jim McGuinness escaping sanction over a separate sideline controversy. Speaking on The Sunday Game, former Dublin star Paul Flynn admitted many inside the county feel Brennan has been treated unfairly.“There is a sense in Dublin that there is a bit of injustice in the way that Ger has been treated,” Flynn said. “You see how it has played out with Jim McGuinness and getting off with something similar. From my perspective, the rule is black and white.“It just strikes everybody who sees it that it was black and white what happened and that the GAA should be looking at it and Jim McGuinness should have the same fate as Ger Brennan. That’s the fairness across the board that people are looking for.”Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the top stories and biggest headlines from Ireland and beyond.
