Mayo captain Aidan O’Shea says that not allowing this year’s All-Ireland champions to take the cup home is “a little bit over the top”.
For this Sunday’s hurling final and the football decider six days later, the Liam MacCarthy and Sam Maguire Cups respectively will be retained in Croke Park afterwards amid concerns that they will be “a focus of crowds gathering and extra social activity”, as outlined by GAA president John Horan on the Late Late Show last week.
Mayo will be bidding to deny Dublin an unprecedented six-in-a-row in the football final but, whoever is victorious, O’Shea would like the winners in both codes to be afforded some leeway.
Having already lifted the Nestor Cup after Mayo won the Connacht title last month before swiftly handing the trophy back, O’Shea said: “The fact that we have to drive to the game by ourselves I was expecting it to be coming back with me afterwards. Unfortunately that’s not the case.
“I wasn’t aware until that moment that those restrictions were in place but, yeah, maybe it’s a little bit over the top.
“There’s no harm in whatever team wins this weekend or next weekend, I think the moment when you walk back into the dressing room with a cup is something special and I think the GAA can afford both teams, this weekend and next weekend, to allow that.
“But, at the same time, I understand the circumstances and the Covid-19 is placed upon us so if there’s a justification around why that is the case, fair enough, it’s important to abide by it and follow the restrictions.”
