On what should have been a week of celebration for Antrim after beating Laois in the All-Ireland football qualifiers, joy has been overshadowed by a controversy over the dropping of three players who were involved in a club hurling fixture the night before.
CJ McGourty, Kieran McGourty and Conor Burke were left out of the starting line-up in Saturday's win at O'Moore Park, with the decision revealed to them in the hotel before the game.
The three players had played the night before for their club St Galls in a fixture that was rearranged and not called off and on Off The Ball tonight, CJ McGourty told us that one of the issues he and the team-mates affected had was the lack of warning about the potential consequences.
"We got no pre-warning that we would be dropped. I think that's where the message has been lost," he said.
"The manager is a club man himself and he said that he had no issues with us going and playing with our club and he didn't say that there would be no consequences. But he didn't, at no point, state that we should not go and play with our club or if we did go play for the club that we would be dropped."
Antrim manager Frank Fitzsimons celebrates with his players after beating Laois ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
McGourty added that had there been a pre-warning it probably would not have affected his decision to take up the call from his club, but would have given him time to "digest the consequences".
He also feels that manager Frank Fitzsimons "was placed in a very bad position by the county board", but thinks the situation could have been handled better.
"It's about time that the Antrim County Board weren't allowed to do this to any individual or any club again," McGourty stated.
He also spoke about some of the frustrations he has endured as an inter-county footballer with Antrim.
"It is very frustrating at times in terms of people taking expenses off us, or £20 or £30 in terms of not being treated correctly," said McGourty.
"This year, for example, there's a boy, Christopher McGuinness. He played for Rossa in the All-Ireland hurling intermediate which they won, he played two league games for Antrim and he didn't get his football expense for the league because they said he didn't play in any league games. He played in two league games and he started away to Offaly, but he didn't get the £60 that the GPA give you for your boots for the league campaign."
In another example, McGourty also told us that he "always hears the boys complaining that the expenses are meant to be in on the 26th of each month, but they're never in on the 26th of each month."
McGourty also explained the situation why Antrim's players were wearing two sets of jerseys against Laois.
And as he said, "it can't go on like this" and that improvements will have to be made to the structures.
Listen to the full interview via the podcast.
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