Kerr Still Has Concerns Regarding Rearranged Semi Final

Tuesday 10.08.2021

Despite having their All Ireland semi final postponed due to the current Covid crisis within the county it appears that Tyrone may still not be able to field a team for their game against Kerry on the 21st of August. County Chairman Michael Kerr is still concerned that under current guidelines and with player welfare paramount, it may well be impossible for Tyrone to fulfil the fixture.

“The welfare of the players is paramount. The management will not be making a decision until this weekend on whether we will be capable of fulfilling the fixture,” he said.

“This is about player welfare, and it’s clear that our players will not be ready to engage in a high-intensity Championship game so soon after being directly affected by this virus.”

The Tyrone chairman added: “We are also conscious of the fact that the situation is not an ideal one for Kerry, and the uncertainty creates difficulties for their preparations for this important game.”

Kerr questioned Croke Park’s position on limiting the postponement to one week.

“They have decided that the final should be pushed no further back than Saturday the fourth of September — but if something similar was to happen in the meantime to any of the two panels competing in the final, that date would disappear into the twilight as well.”

“While we appreciate the postponement, which now allows us to be able to field a team, our request to have the match put back until the following weekend would have allowed us to be able to field a team that would be properly prepared and be in a position to do itself justice in an All-Ireland semi-final.

“We are grateful to have the opportunity to be able to field but, by the same token, disappointed that Croke Park have not given us sufficient time to prepare a proper challenge for Kerry.”