The Chairperson of the Women's Gaelic Players Association says she is disappointed by the lack of rest days between the scheduled All-Ireland Camogie playoff between Dublin and Clare, and the quarter-final against Wexford.
After the Camogie Assocation backed down on their controversial coin toss decision, Dublin and Clare will now play in a playoff this Saturday for a place against Wexford just two days later.
Speaking to Off The Ball, WGPA chief Aoife Lane said: "When I saw it this morning my heart skipped to be honest. I was a bit disappointed to be honest when I saw the very quick turnaround. I immediately got in touch with our rep from both counties," she said.
"They were so upset and disappointed last night and today, that their immediate reaction was that 'we're getting a chance to win on the field of play' and that was their ultimate outcome. The turnaround is very quick. It's not an ideal welfare issue and in fairness, Wexford, as far as I have known, were willing to play next Saturday. There was a little bit of disappointment on our behalf. It's a result, it's a positive outcome but it's not the ideal outcome."
Wexford were willing to play on the 8th August - but Camogie Association decided instead to give Clare or Dublin one day's rest.
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) July 29, 2015
Camogie Association CEO Joan O'Flynn was also on the show and explained how the organisation came to a point where the drawing of lots became the reality before making a U-turn today, also clarifying that "it was never a coin toss. That just became something that was contrived on social. It was drawing lots, not that there's much difference. That was the fourth step in the process."
She also admitted that the Association will look to learn from the debacle, while she also explained why the playoff between Dublin and Clare has been scheduled with little rest time before the Wexford quarter-final.
"The game was offered to them in such a way and obviously they've expressed a refusal to do things up to now and they've moved on themselves and accepted what's on offer in terms of the best interests of the game," she said, while also admitting that Wexford were willing to play next Saturday August 8th rather than this Monday, but that the Ard Chomhairle's decision "was not to disassemble the fixtures programme any further".
