OPINION: Mayo GAA County Board must take a stand against 'neutral' Croke Park

Following Mayo's disappointing defeat at the hands of Galway in Sunday's Connacht final it looks like the Mayo County Board will have a serious decision to make in the coming weeks.

Mayo now find themselves in Group 2 with Roscommon, Cavan and the winners of the Leinster final between Louth and Dublin. Kevin McStay's men will take on Cavan the weekend after next in Castlebar before playing Roscommon in Hyde Park two weeks later. The third game in the group is where things will get tricky for the power-brokers in Mayo GAA.

If, as expected, Dublin win the Leinster title, they will be scheduled to face Mayo at a neutral venue. The absurdity of calling Croke Park a neutral venue for Dublin will then come into sharp focus. The time has now come for Mayo to take a stand. There shouldn't even be a discussion about it. Mayo should not contemplate playing the game in Croke Park. The soft attitude that Mayo players want to play in the national stadium is exactly that – a soft attitude.

If the game is scheduled for a neutral venue – then a neutral venue it should be!

Mayo County Board need to step into the light and leave the authorities in no doubt about their preferences. There are plenty fine stadiums in the country well capable of hosting the game, no matter what the size of crowd is expected.

Hyde Park, Tullamore, Breffni Park, The Gaelic Grounds in Limerick, Semple Stadium and many more will accommodate the crowd and generate a great atmosphere.

If Dublin win the Leinster title next weekend, Mayo County Board need to immediately step forward and insist the match between themselves and Dublin take place at a neutral venue and that most certainly is not Croke Park. The action or inaction of Mayo County Board will be watched with great interest.