JFC final fixture in doubt due to restrictions

GAA news

The denouement to the club championships in Cavan has been thrown into doubt following the postponement of the Junior Championship final.

The final, between Templeport and Denn, was postponed on Saturday after it emerged that there were two positive cases of Covid-19 among the Templeport panel, which necessitated further testing of contacts.

The news came to light on Saturday morning and the match was officially called off that afternoon.

The county board’s CCCC quickly moved to re-fix the final for Wednesday, October 21 at 8.15pm but on Monday morning, the GAA announced that all club activity was to be suspended.

“The decision has been taken in the interest of public safety following a number of incidents that have been brought to our attention in recent days.

“In particular, post-match celebrations and a lack of social distancing at certain events have proved disappointing and problematic,” read the official notification which was distributed to clubs.

The GAA’s decision was later effectively superseded by the government moving the country to Level 3 in its Covid response strategy which forbids the staging of any sporting event outside of elite sports, which can continue behind closed doors.

This has left a situation where clubs around the country who have qualified for county finals are in Limbo.

“The junior final was initially refixed for October 21 but all club activity is suspended and the government restrictions are expected to last three to four weeks anyway,” stated county board PRO Susan Brady.

While the fixture currently stands, the PRO confirmed that it may not go ahead as scheduled while restrictions are in place. The county board are very keen to get the game played, she said, but their hands are tied at present due to the ongoing uncertainty.

"We are lucky in a sense that we got two of our finals played and hopefully we can get the Junior Championship final played sooner rather than later depending on restrictions."