PAT SPILLANE quipped ‘Promotion of GAA my a**e’ while venting about how Gaelic Games are operating in the shadow of Euro 2024.
The Kerry legend based his argument around what he considers the missed opportunity of a bumper slate on Saturday.
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Not only had you the two hurling quarter-finals taking place but there were also three preliminary quarter-finals featuring the big ball.
Writing in his Sunday World column, Spillane felt both codes were slighted by a combination of the GAA and RTE in order to best accommodate rugby and soccer.
He emphasises that while the URC final was shunted to the RTE News channel when neither Munster nor Leinster qualified, it still had a negative impact on the hurling match-ups.
This is because they were fixed for early throw-in times ahead of time due to RTE’s contractual obligation to show the URC decider.
That neither the favourites in Leinster nor the holders in Munster made it was an unfortunate stoke of misfortune as it wound up being a far less appealing prospect for an Irish audience.
Regarding the Gaelic football he reiterates his long-held frustration at the GAAGO subscription service (co-owned by RTE and the GAA) holding exclusive rights to such marquee match-ups.
The 68-year-old also takes issue with how late into the evening The Saturday Game highlights show was bumped back in the TV schedule.
He blasts: “The Saturday Game on RTÉ is a great idea. Last Saturday, it was shown from 10.50pm until midnight.
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“Only the diehards would stay up that late to watch it.
Why? We had one hour of analysis after the inconsequential Italy v Albania Euro 2024 match. That’s why…
“The two All-Ireland hurling quarter-finals were played early yesterday afternoon.
“This was originally down to the fact RTÉ was contracted to show the URC final.
“In the event, the URC final featuring the Bulls and Glasgow was shown on the RTÉ News channel, but the hurling was still sidetracked because Euro 2024 got the prime-time evening slots.
“Promotion of Gaelic games my a**e.”
He and other GAA die-hards won’t find their moods improved by this coming Saturday’s schedule either.
Once again the Gaelic football fare will be behind the contentious paywall.
Meanwhile a pair of Euro 2024 knockout contests will have wall-to-wall coverage on RTE Two from 4:30 pm until 10:35 pm.
The Saturday Game will then catch supporters up on the action from Croke Park.
While it’s a less romantic point, it must be noted that major international soccer tournaments do draw bigger viewing figures than even the biggest of GAA affairs.
So while the likes of Spillane might not like it, RTE is in a way fulfilling its public service remit.
And with so much on these days there’s literally no way to everyone happy.
Sunday will see RTE Two showcase the Gaelic football quarter-finals between Louth-Donegal and Derry-Kerry too so there is still a sizeable chunk of the weekend schedule devoted to our national games.
