When Moorefield take on Rathnew in this weekend's Leinster club football semi-final, they will again have the services of both captain Daryl Flynn and vice-captain David Whyte.
Both players were sent-off during the first half of their side's Kildare SFC final win against Celbridge last month. Despite being down two players for the majority of the game, Moorefield still scraped through by two points.
Stood on the sideline, Flynn did not know the dilemma he was about to have. As he walked up to claim the cup for his side, Flynn was informed of a nonsense rule which meant, due to his red card, he was ineligible to lift the cup.
The former inter-county footballer decided it was a rule he would ignore, believing that aged 32, it might be his last chance to lift the Dermot Bourke Cup.
Quoted by Paul Keane in today's Irish Times, explained his thought process in those moments.
I never heard of it [the rule] until just as I was about to go up the steps. It is a bizarre rule, I’d never heard of it being implemented before.
You had a choice, it was strange. I don’t know what you’d do if you were playing for your club and you had a chance to lift the cup. I would put that question to anyone. I made the decision that I wanted to lift the cup.
Flynn lifted the cup along with Whyte. Both served their suspensions for being red-carded at the weekend as Moorefield beat Portlaoise by a point in the Leinster quarter-final on Sunday.
The second part of the suspension, for lifting the cup while ineligible, will not be served until next year's Kildare SFC.
Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
