McStay lambasts ‘terrible’ championship structure and GAA appeals process

MAYO manager Kevin McStay has expressed discontent with the structure of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the GAA’s disciplinary appeals process.

Speaking after Mayo’s championship exit to Derry, McStay branded the new championship structure, which is now in its second year, as ‘terrible’.

Derry and Roscommon are in action this weekend following their preliminary quarter-final victories - despite both having lost three championship games each in the provincial and All-Ireland series.

“But sure I can’t do anything about that,” said McStay. “Sure we all knew that, that you could lose two games in a group and you could lose a game in your provincial [championship] as well. Everyone knew there was a possibility you could lose three games and still end up [in the knock-out stages] and if we were in that position we’d have been delighted to stay alive, even if we’d lost two or three matches.

“I’m just disappointed for the group,” he added. “We put a lot into it and we’re not heading to where we wanted to go next weekend.”

When asked by The Mayo News about why the appeal against Fergal Boland’s two-game suspension was heard so close to the game against Derry, McStay replied: “Higher pay required there on that question. If you get the answer to that will you email it to me? I would love to hear that answer. But ten-to-eleven last night [Friday], the result.”

Mayo GAA appealed a two-game suspension issued to Fergal Boland after he received a straight red card against Roscommon in the second round of Mayo’s championship group.

The Aghamore man was sanctioned for striking Roscommon’s Ultan Harney with the elbow ‘with force’, which incurs a two-game rather than a one-game ban. This resulted in Boland missing both of Mayo’s last two championship games against Dublin and Derry

Match footage showed contact between Boland and Harney, but not the extent of it.

The unsuccessful appeal against his suspension was heard on by the GAA’s Central Appeals Committee on Friday evening, June 21.

Tyrone midfielder Conn Kilpatrick had a two-game ban overturned by the same committee.