Cork success means fixture chaos on club front

Brendan Larkin

Chairman Jim Forbes said: “While it’s great to have the county involved in All-Ireland semi-finals, it poses problems for our own county championships.

“For instance if both our senior teams reach their respective All-Ireland finals, the earliest date the county SFC game between O’Donovan Rossa and Na Piarsaigh can be played is the Sunday after the football final, October 2nd.

“When you consider they both played their opening game in the championship back in April, it’s totally unsatisfactory to have to wait almost six months to play the next round.

“But there is very little we can do. To be fair to the county secretary he has managed to progress all the other grades except the football. The dual involvement of Blackrock/St. Michaels, St. Finbarrs and Na Piarsaigh isn’t helping the situation.

“The inter-county success is also causing endless problems for the divisional board, some of whose clubs have players involved with Cork in one grade or another.

“People say it’s a nice headache to have with Cork doing so well, but our clubs are suffering and there has to be a balance struck in order to keep our ordinary players active.”

The County Board can only manage to play three games this coming weekend, two SFC and one IHC. With four senior footballers involved, the Cork selectors will keep their fingers crossed they come through unscathed.

Beara will play Aghada in Macroom on Saturday night in the SFC, throw in at 7.30pm with inter-county colleagues Brendan Jer O’Sullivan and Kieran O’Connor on opposite sides.

Douglas and Bantry Blues replay their SFC in Dunmanway (7pm) also on Saturday in a game where Philip Clifford and Graham Canty are involved.

The only other game that can be played in the quarter-final of the IHC between neighbours Bandon and Argideen Rangers, fixed for Barryroe on Saturday at 7pm.