Carlow football manager Luke Dempsey has called on the GAA to change the starting time of his team’s All-Ireland Championship preliminary round against Antrim in Casement Park on Saturday week.
The game is due to throw in at 2pm, but Dempsey feels this is too early a start, especially if the Carlow team have to travel the 200 miles on the day of the game.
“It's a tough enough draw to go to Casement Park, it's so far away from Carlow,” said Dempsey.
“If we were going up on the same day, it would mean us leaving Carlow at 8am which is ridiculous considering the other matches are all starting at 4pm, 5pm, 6pm or 7pm. We've asked the GAA to reconsider their timing because, as it stands, it doesn't make sense.”
Things have been made a little bit more difficult for the Barrowsiders, as they will be without forward Seán Gannon, who will be spending the rest of the summer in Boston.
“It'll be difficult to pick the team up after we fell apart so badly (against Wexford), but that's just what we'll have to do. If we don't, we won't be going any further in the qualifiers.
“It's a long trip and now Sean has gone to Boston. That's a big blow for us.”