St Molaise Gaels have lodged an objection to Connacht GAA over Sligo GAA’s determination process in selecting the finalists for this Friday’s Furey’s Coaches senior football league division 1 final.
The north Sligo club were one of three teams, along with St Mary’s and Shamrock Gaels, who finished joint top of the table on 18 points after the nine regulation rounds of league games in Division 1 this season.
The top two teams in the Division 1 table normally contest the league final each year.
While St Molaise Gaels had a superior scoring difference (+96) to the other two teams, Sligo GAA confirmed last Sunday evening that St Mary’s (+47) and Shamrock Gaels (+39) would contest this Friday’s league final at Markievicz Park.
The determination of final league placings was further complicated by Sligo GAA’s decision to change the number of points awarded for a league win, from two to three, a change which came into effect when county players returned to their clubs.
The decision to introduce three points for a league win when county players were back on board with their clubs, was agreed by all the clubs and ratified at a Sligo GAA county board meeting earlier this year before the league started.
It’s understood Croke Park was consulted on the criteria for determining league standings, taking into account the change of points for league wins mid-season.
In this instance, the GAA rulebook decrees that league placings are determined by the number of the league points awarded in the league fixtures between the three teams involved.
In this case, St Molaise’s league win over Shamrock Gaels early in the season earned them two points.
However, victories for Shamrock Gaels and St Mary’s (over Mary’s and Molaise respectively), which occurred in the second half of the season, were worth three points for a win.
Thus, the ‘mini-league’ to determine final league placings was as follows:
- Shamrock Gaels 3pts
- St Mary’s 3pts
- St Molaise Gaels 2pts.
It’s understood St Molaise have lodged their objection on the basis that where three teams finish level on points, scoring difference (as is the case in intercounty competitions) should take precedence to decide final league placings.
The club’s appeal to Connacht Council is expected to be heard on Thursday evening.
As it stands, the Division 1 league final is still scheduled to take place this Friday evening in Markievicz Park at 7pm.
The game will be streamed live on sligogaatv.ie.
The final Division 1 standings as published by Sligo GAA last Sunday evening
