“We would also appeal to Dublin fans to dry their eyes.”
We’re not sure if Jim Gavin is in the age-old habit of sticking material up on the dressing room wall in an attempt to motivate his Dublin players, but if he is, An Garda Síochána may have provided him with just what he’s looking for before Sunday’s All-Ireland Final against Mayo.
Ahead of the big game, post-match instructions for both sets of supporters were issued on the An Garda Síochána Twitter account in a manner that appears to have been published with tongue firmly in cheek.
Whilst we would normally support the boys in blue, we are preparing for the likely event that @MayoGAA lift Sam #DUBvMAYO @DubGAAOfficial 🤣 pic.twitter.com/oQdLh0fZh4
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) September 15, 2017
Detailing possible scenarios for the Croke Park encounter, Gardaí say they are preparing “for the likely event” of a Mayo win on Sunday (Plan A) and included in the instructions in the event of such an occurrence is an appeal to Dublin fans “to dry their eyes”.
In the event of a Dublin win (Plan B), Dublin fans are urged to avail of public transport and park and ride facilities and not to drink alcohol on the streets.
Should there be a replay for the second time in successive seasons (Plan C), it is noted that “it will be just another week before Sam Maguire’s coming home to Mayo,” even though last year’s replay took place 13 days after the drawn encounter.
The accompanying emoji in the Twitter post and the ‘confidential’ stamps on the document would suggest that it’s intended to be all in good fun, which would make sense considering that Mayo are 3/1 outsiders to get the job done on Sunday, while Dublin are 2/5 to make it three All-Ireland titles on the trot.
The safety instructions are well worth heeding whatever the outcome and for more information on match day safety around GAA HQ, click here.
Not all big games live up to the hype, of course, but something tells us it’s going to be a cracker at Croker on Sunday.
