Four Carbery JAFC quarter-finals postponed as Barryroe appeals decision to DRA

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

ALL four quarter-finals of the Carbery Junior A FC scheduled for Sunday and Tuesday have been postponed, the board confirmed late on Friday night.

The divisional championship was put on hold after Barryroe GAA Club requested DRA arbitration following their unsuccessful appeal to the County Executive against the Carbery Board.

‘Due to the CLG Barra Rua requesting DRA arbitration, Re: their appeal against the Carbery Board to the County Executive not being upheld, we have decided to pause our Junior A football championship at this time. As a result of this, all four quarter-finals are postponed until further notice,’ a Carbery GAA statement said on Friday night.

On scoring difference, Barryroe missed out on a place in the quarter-finals of the championship when they finished third in Roinn 1, but they were on the same points (4) as both Tadhg MacCarthaigh and Argideen Rangers who progressed to the last eight.

But Barryroe had been handed a walkover against Bandon in their Roinn 3 meeting. It meant that the Carbery Board excluded Argideen Rangers’ and Tadhg MacCarthaigh’s results against Bandon in the final table.

The final Carbery JAFC Roinn 1 table that is on the Carbery GAA website.

‘When Bandon conceded to Barryroe back in July, the Carbery Board were unable to disqualify Bandon from the competition due to the structure and format of our championship as per general rule. Barryroe were awarded the points and as a result this game cannot be replayed,’ a Carbery statement to The Southern Star said. 

‘At the conclusion of the qualifying rounds of the Carbery Junior A football Championship,  three teams were level on points in Roinn 1. The procedure in that case is that the scoring differences would then decide which two teams would advance. As per the Official GAA Guide 2022, Bandon’s scoring difference was nullified and the scoring difference between the three remaining clubs Tadhg Mac Carthaigh, Argideen Rangers and Barryroe was taken into consideration.  

‘At the end of this process Tadhg MacCarthaigh had a scoring difference of +1, Argideen Rangers had 0 and Barryroe had -1. Therefore both Tadhg Mac Carthaigh and Argideen Rangers qualified for the quarter-finals.’

The Southern Star understands that Barryroe’s issue is that the club was not informed that the above was how final placings would be decided in a group if three teams finished level on points.

Barryroe’s appeal was held in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Wednesday night, but it was not upheld and the county committee ruled in favour of the Carbery Board. 

‘Following the Carbery Board's decision to follow General Rule in confirming Tadhg MacCárthaigh and Argideen Rangers as qualifying from Roinn 1 of the Carbery junior A football championship, the Barryroe club appealed this decision to the Cork County Executive. The Barryroe appeal was not upheld, and as a result, the Carbery Board are progressing with the junior A football championship, which is now at the quarter-final stage,’ a Carbery GAA statement on Friday morning read.

But Barryroe has now decided to appeal the decision to the DRA, and all four Carbery JAFC quarter-finals (St Mary's v Kilmacabea, Ballinascarthy v St James, Clonakilty, Tadhg MacCarthaigh v Carbery Rangers, Randal Óg v Argideen Rangers) have been postponed.