Mickey Harte sets the record straight after O'Byrne Cup Final loss to Longford
In the aftermath of Louth’s ten point O’Byrne Cup final loss, Mickey Harte set the record straight surrounding the controversial last group game against Wexford.
The furore over the unplayed game proceeded to cause much debate around pre-season competitions overall. First of all, Harte wanted to set the record straight that his side did indeed not withdraw from the maligned Wexford game two weeks ago.
“That’s not the way to put it, we didn’t withdraw from the game,” Harte declared after his sides ten point O’Byrne Cup loss.
“That’s the problem, there’s a narrative out there that’s been put into the public domain by someone who isn’t from Louth, and wasn’t involved with Louth and doesn’t know anything about them.
“The fact of the matter is Louth county board, under our instructions, said we could not make it to Wexford on Wednesday night, between the distance and the time of the night that it was due to be played.
“Leinster Council were told that before a ball was kicked. Then, they gave us an alternative, which was to be January 2nd. So if you took the game on the 2nd of January, another one on the 4th, another on the 6th, that would be three games in six days after playing no football at all.
“So we said that did not suit us and it wouldn’t work. So we made it totally clear before a ball was kicked that this was our position.
“For people to suggest otherwise, saying that we tried to pull out of the competition or abandon the competition, or do it harm – that’s people who don’t know what they’re talking about, and they’ve been quite vociferous in what they’ve been saying.
“We did everything above board, the Leinster Council were properly informed of everything we were doing, and we didn’t refuse to go to Wexford on the Wednesday night, we had declared long in advance, before we kicked a ball, that we weren’t going, so I think people need to get that narrative right and straight again.”
Harte objected to the Offaly camp, who’s manager Liam Kearns and Chairperson Michael Duignan spoke out strongly against the Wee County in the lead up to their postponed semi final.
“We didn’t do anything out of order, we did everything by the book, and if the Leinster Council wanted to sanction us for that decision, we’d have taken that.
“They didn’t, we went on and played the two games, and because we ended up in a semi-final….and it’s a bit rich for somebody to be giving out about us not going to the bottom end of Wexford on a Wednesday night, when they felt hard done by, having to go from the midlands to Parnell Park, they were making the argument for us.
“Then as if they were overburdened themselves, they were in a group of three, and they only had to play two games, and we had to play two games as well.
“So I don’t know where they got the room to gripe. I think they should just attend to their own business and leave everybody else to tend to theirs as well.”
In the end, Harte was happy to defend his players and his adopted county and admitting they have unfairly been made to look like bad guys.
“Well that’s it you see,” Harte finished. "When you put something into the public domain, and nobody actively goes in to challenge it, and to see is it the truth, then it becomes the truth.
“So that’s all I want to do now, to let people know exactly what happened, and how we did what we did, in the best interests of our players.
“And, could you imagine, a three and a half hour journey at least, and to fit in eating in between that, then to play a match at eight o’clock and be back in our county at maybe half one or two in the morning. It didn’t make sense, and the alternative, to play three games in six days, wasn’t a sensible one either.”