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Former All-Star Eamonn O’Hara believes that bigger questions will be asked if a more prominent county develops a large number of Covid-19 cases, as has happened with the Sligo footballers.
Yeats County has been affected by seven positive cases and more results are expected in the next 24 hours.
As contact tracing will also rule out more players for the semifinal of the Connacht Soccer Championship this Saturday at Pearse Stadium, Sligo faces a very small number of players available for the game, if they are to comply with the match.
The RTÉ GAA analyst has remained faithful to his opinion earlier this year that sports should not be practiced when there are strict preventive measures against Covid-19 in society.
Speaking to RTÉ Sport, the great Sligo GAA referred to the struggles that various teams faced in Allianz Football League matches when he said: “Fermanagh was a little more vocal than Sligo has been, they had problems.
“Letirim had to retire, as he could not fulfill a match and now Sligo is in a difficult position.
“All these players who have tested positive or are contacts have to isolate themselves. There is also the problem that if the players who are allowed to play do so and there is another positive test, they will all have to isolate themselves.”
“You are isolating yourself from your parents, grandparents, girlfriend or partner. The only thing that suffers are the players and that is why I was very against six or eight months ago.
“Maybe until a Dublin or a Kerry or a Galway or a Limerick launch team fall into the trap of this, maybe then the light really shines on it.”
The Sligo County Board will meet tonight to discuss the matter and remain in dialogue with the association.
O’Hara feels that the players have to think about their family life if they want to play the game.
“As far as I know, there are between 18 and 20 players available. I think they are being asked, do they want to play or not? That is the decision that every player has to make.
“As Tourlestrane coach, I had to make a decision and think ‘Do I want to be part of this set-up or not?’ Because I want to see my mother and she is older, I had to decide to avoid visiting her or to stay away from her when I visited her and lead the team.
“That is what each individual player has to decide now, what do they want to get out of this? Do they want to comply with the fixture?
“Obviously, they probably won’t win as a result of this. They have to decide whether the risk of playing outweighs the enjoyment, if that’s the correct way to put it, because the consequences are pretty high.”
There is also the subject of possible concerns for Saturday’s opposition in Galway, as it has not yet been clarified whether the strict testing will continue later in the week at Sligo camp at the rear of the group, with the possibility that more possible positive cases are discovered. .
O’Hara added: “I would presume a conversation is taking place. If I were Padraic Joyce, you would have a concern and would ask questions about the safety of his players.
“Will testing be done before the game? Will testing be done on game day and the day after the game? Will testing be done four or five days later?
“It’s about the players, their safety and their well-being. Perhaps we will become clearer as the days go by.
“I don’t think Sligo was going to win this game, but it would give them something to build on and reward them for their training. Now it’s a case of getting hit hard in terms of numbers. Delivering the match is applause in the back And everyone would say well done to Sligo for doing it.
“But these players have to go home and carry their bags to a house, and possibly alone in isolation. I think it comes down to making sure the players are happy, comfortable and supported for the decision they make.”
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