There were games on the line at Croke Park this weekend.
There were seasons at stake. Careers could’ve played out their swansongs under the terraces of headquarters there and then.
And they all could’ve been decided by a slip. Or a fumble. Or a skid. Or a slip.
The rain didn’t help matters on Saturday and Sunday but the usually pristine pitch at headquarters looked unusually untrustworthy, especially by the time the fourth game in a second day rolled around.
Down at the Hill 16 end, underfoot conditions were hazardous.
They were unpredictable.
They were frustrating as heck.
Players couldn’t turn like they’d have wanted to, the bounce of the ball was a threat in itself and, after a while, both defenders and forwards were tip-toeing along with extreme caution for fear that they’d fall victim to the surface.
The pitch was relaid recently but one part of it was struggling badly.
Up where there’d be most congestion for a concert.
And up where they build a giant stage.
The rain wouldn’t have helped, the games on Saturday wouldn’t have helped but this is Croke Park – this is the big stage, the best pitch in Ireland and Saturday’s games were affected too.
You could even see it in the shades of grass. That side looked so much more worn than the rest of the pitch and barely anyone found trouble up underneath the Davin Stand.
So Kevin McStay was spot on to have a go at the surface – for whatever the reason it was struggling.
Relaid or not, obviously the ground hasn’t taken the load well.
“We were watching the games in the hotel on Saturday night and it seemed to have more of an influence then,” the Roscommon manager told RTÉ.
“I don’t want to be dissing on Croke Park but it’s not good enough. If one of our young corner-backs slipped there at a crucial moment and the ball ends up in the net he’ll never be let forget that moment.
“And there was a lot of slipping going on. I’m sure ye noticed that. We had a big issue of studs on Sunday morning and what they were going to wear.
“Look, it wasn’t a defining thing but it’s not good enough to have a third of your pitch slippy up to between the ’20’ and the ’45’.”
It wasn’t a defining thing. It could’ve been.
