The Galway Ladies football team’s “hearts are broken” after yesterday’s All-Ireland semi-final against Cork was moved at the last minute, with no time for a proper warm-up.

The match was originally due to be played at the LIT Gaelic Grounds in Limerick; however, it was moved to Parnell Park in Dublin last week.

On Sunday morning, when the teams arrived at the Dublin venue, they were told the pitch was unplayable and the game was being moved to Croke Park with an earlier start time.

When they arrived at Croke Park, they were given 14 minutes to get changed and seven minutes to warm up.

6 December 2020; Saoirse Noonan of Cork is tackled by Lynsey Noone of Galway during the TG4 All-Ireland Senior Ladies Football Championship Semi-Final match between Cork and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Galway Ladies Gaelic Football spokesman john McDermott said people are “very, very hurt” in Galway this morning.

“It is just the timing of it,” he said. “You get a call around the 11am mark and OK, the management made the decision to go to Croke Park but when we arrived at Croke Park we thought we would be on time for a warm-up.

“I mean it was just so unfair. The girls went down and they got seven minutes. Tracy Leonard never even got to kick one ball. Never even got to kick one ball at the goals.

“Our captain Louise went up and did the toss. The only bit of a warm-up she really got was the sprint back. It was very, very unfair to our girls; very unfair and we are very hurt down here. I am extremely hurt myself.”

All-Ireland

Cork started the game strongly and took a 2-05 to 0-04 lead into the half time break.

Galway manager Tim Rabbitt has said Cork deserved the win but said he regrets not refusing to play without a proper warm-up.

Mr McDermott said he believes things could have been different if the team had been given time to warm up.

“Most definitely and OK the result is what it is but our girls have put in so much,” he said.

“Our girls have trained so hard and put everything into it. Five nights a week; hail, rain or snow you know?

“And to go up and be saying, ‘OK, straight on.’ They were saying, ‘come on now, straight into it. Let’s start this game.’

“It was very unfair and it is not right. This is not right.”

Warm-up

He said some of the players had spent three hours on a bus before arriving at Parnell Park.

“There were two buses going up, one from Claregalway left at 9:30am with a little stop on the way up,” he said.

“When you spend two or three hours on a bus, you have to stretch out. They need it. It is very unfair.”

He said the team was very upset arriving back in Galway yesterday.

“All I know is, I was on that bus with them girls coming off that bus yesterday in Ballinasloe and I tell you, it is not fair,” he said.

“Their hearts were broken. Not because of the loss but because of the way they were treated.

“I really am disappointed with our own organisation and they have been so good to us in the past. We are really, really let down.”