COMMENT: Controversy aplenty as new Kildare season gets underway

The first weekend of the new season, the first weekend of 2026, the first weekend of football and hurling action and, it seems, little has changed, same old, same old.

With the Big Lad in the red coat and white beard hardly settled back in his abode the GAA season exploded into action with All-Ireland Club semi-finals, along with the pre-season inter-county games in both football and hurling.

Kildare players already have some six or eight weeks, let it be official or unofficial, pre-season under their belts but already we are hearing of injuries as long as the early afternoon shadows.

While Kildare footballers began their season with a comfortable opening win over Wexford, away down in Pairc Uí Chaoimh, Kildare and Leinster intermediate club football champions were giving it their all in a bid to make it to the Holy Grail.
Controversy by the bucketful.

A game that ebbed and flowed ended with one of the most controversial new rules deciding the issue with the last kick of the game.

Sallins had fought and fought and led by one point, that after extra time, and deep into time added on against the might of their Kerry counterparts An Ghaeltacht.

Time was ticking, ticking when the Kerry boys were awarded a free, a long way from the Sallins posts. However the match official deemed that a Sallins player had failed to hand the ball to an opponent and duly brought the ball up some 50 yards.

It was a replica of how the same team had won the Munster Club final, identical but for one slight difference.
The Sallins player lay face-down on the ground and was penalised for not handing over the ball. Now rules are rules, no denying that but how a player, lying on the ground, face-down, can hand over the ball to an opponent is surely stretching that rule beyond to something it was never intended.

The ball was then duly brought outside the arc and for the second time in two games, up stepped Éanna Ó Conchúir, again, to land a two-pointer, take the lead, the ball kicked out, the long whistle, game over. Dream shattered.
Absolute heartbreak for Sallins.

No doubt An Ghaeltacht would point out that a Sallins point earlier had broken the 3x3 rule, not spotted by the match official, which would lead one to ask what was the sideline official doing that he did not spot it, that being one of the linesman's main functions these days.
Tough, very tough.

There may not have been any controversy in the All-Ireland Junior semi-final as Grangenolvin gave it their absolute all, losing out to another side from The Kingdom by three points but they can certainly hold their heads high.

Also on Saturday Brian Flanagan's footballers went through the motions defeating Wexford in the O'Byrne Cup opener, that one at Enniscorthy, as cold a venue as one could get.
Then again we are in January.

Sunday saw the hurlers fixed to make a bit of history as they were due to take part in their first Walsh Cup game, with Galway providing the opposition.
Controversy again.
Major controversy.

First things to say that the forecast was so bad for Saturday night Sunday morning, that one of the biggest race meetings at Naas, was postponed — on Saturday — not sure if the good folk in the GAA felt that the forecast for Naas and the forecast for Newbridge, some ten miles apart, would differ so much that while the plug was pulled on the gees, gees, the hurlers of Kildare and Galway would have no problem dealing with the conditions.

I suppose if the camogie players of Athenry of Galway and Finbarr's of Cork can play an All-Ireland Camogie final replay, on a pitch that was practically half an ice rink and half a green pitch, surely the big boys from Kildare and Galway could have played on a hard green surface. If only referee Brian Kearney (from Kildare) had inspected Cedral St Conleth's Park on Sunday the game would, no doubt, have gone ahead, as he deemed Thurles pitch playable the evening before.

Seemingly the pitch at Conleth's Park, had been inspected in the morning and while still frosted, it was decided by throw-in time it would be playable.

Galway arrived, the Kildare lads arrived, the match official arrived, threw an eye on the pitch, this less than an hour before throw-in which had been put back by half-an-hour.

The Kilkenny official decided no game, pitch unplayable.
Needless to say the Galway players and management were furious. The fans that turned up were furious.
Surely in this day and age a decision should have been on Saturday to save Galway a trip across the country for a no match.

Maybe Leinster Council, or indeed Kildare GAA, should have asked for the services of the Naas Racecourse Stewards as to where they got their information regards overnight frost, it could have saved a lot of heartbreak, saved Galway a long trip and saved GAA fans, who had purchased tickets, the disappointment.

And then despite Sunday being just the fourth day of 2026 — and due to fixture congestion — the game was decided on a toss of a coin. You couldn't make it up.
More surprise here.

Kildare lost the toss and will now play in the Walsh Cup Shield this weekend when Antrim will be visitors.
Better check the forecast.

I have the mobile of Naas Racecourse, if it is needed.
Another year.
Another season.
Another controversy.
The GAA, where would be without it I wonder to myself!

PS: I see not only do Kilkenny refuse to play football at senior county level, it would seem they are also refusing to play hurling on a designated all-weather pitch also.
The arrogance of it!

A statement from Kildare Co. Board re Sunday's calling off the Walsh Cup game reads:
“Kildare GAA carried out an inspection on the pitch this morning (Sunday) at around 10am. At that point the pitch was frozen in places but was clearing. We contacted the referee and he felt that the weather was thawing and it should be ok for the game but that he would inspect the pitch when he arrived. It was decided by both County Boards, Leinster Council and the referee to delay the throw to 2pm. When the referee inspected the pitch on arrival, he deemed the pitch unplayable.”

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