Clara v Rathvilly

[Lone Shark]

I'm inclined to agree with corner back here, though I think a bit more has to be done to ensure it's fair. I don't like this system of top/bottom of the draw for home advantage all the time, I don't see why there shouldn't be home and away arrangements between counties for the club championship just the same as between counties. That way it all has to work out fairly in the long run. Obviously it's tricky to work from a standing start, but the idea would be that the next time an Offaly team plays a Kildare team it would be in Offaly, the next time an Offaly team plays a Carlow team it would be in Carlow etc.

The way things are now you can get a long run of home or away fixtures to a certain county.

By the way, I know in Ulster they're very finicky about holding Senior Championship games in official county grounds. I wonder what the criteria is here? For example, Garrycastle have home advantage to Ballyboden in the other Leinster semi - surely there would be a case for playing that game in Pairc Chiarain in Athlone? The ground would be able for the crowd and it would maximise home advantage. I know a lot of the IFC and JFC matches are played on home venue (would presume Walsh Island will be in Walsh Island for their match with Tubberclair/Palmerstown?) but what's the protocol for the senior football and hurling?

[Sniper]

I could be completely wrong about this but........

As far as I am aware, there was a system of home clubs hosting Provincial club Championship games on their own grounds from the outset. However there was a Jaysus row between 2 clubs, supporters included, sometime round the Eighties. Don't know which 2 clubs were involved but Mayo and Roscommon are sticking in my head for some reason. Anyway, the upshot of it all is, after that games had to be played in County grounds that were fenced.

Also these Club Championships have grown in popularity over the years so I'd imagine most clubs would not be able to accomodate such fixtures.

Anyhow, I think the row was the reason for moving to county grounds in the first place. Maybe somebody else knows different.

[Lone Shark]

Sounds very plausible.

It's understandable that you couldn't send these games to your run of the mill ground with a galvanised shed on one side covering maybe 200 people and a damp railing to lean against on the other, but there would be plenty of occasions where a fixture might be best played somewhere outside the county grounds. Garrycastle is just one example, where Athlone might be an option. I'm sure a club like Bray Emmets would prefer not to trek all the way across the mountains to Aughrim, much as I'd be fairly certain that a club like Gracefield might be able to host their own fixture rather than go to Tullamore.

I know there was a lot of grief in Monaghan over the match last week between Clontibret and Dromore since the rule was that if it couldn't be held in Clones, it had to go to Armagh - despite the fact that certainly Iniskeen or maybe even Scotstown would have done just as well and still been in Monaghan. The Castlerea/Charlestown game was moved to Kiltoom, but Kiltoom is essentially regarded as a county ground near enough. I'm just curious as to what happens here - is it county ground or nothing, or if there are alternatives, can they be chosen, or are they only to be used if the county ground is unavailable?