Final stalemate could see Waterford club out of Munster club tournament
Furious Mount Sion and Ballygunner officials are disgruntled that the replay is due to be played on Saturday, 24 hours prior to a meeting with Limerick champions Patrickswell in the provincial campaign. Both clubs claim that they will not travel Shannonside, in the event of victory in six days time.
No official comment has been forthcoming from the board, but a special meeting of the executive has been convened for tonight.
Mount Sion manager Jim Greene and Ballygunner chairman Pat O’Sullivan were both adamant that they had been told earlier in the week that, in the event of the county final ending in a draw, the Munster semi-final against Patrickswell would be put back by one week.
“Both clubs confirmed their willingness to the county board to play extra time in the event of the county final ending in a draw rather than facing the impossible task of playing two major games in the space of 24 hours,” said Greene.
Pat O’Sullivan confirmed this on behalf of Ballygunner, and said that in 1992 they had to play a county final replay on a Saturday and then travel to play the Clare champions in the Munster campaign the next day. “As far as we are concerned that is not going to happen to us a second time.”
Meanwhile a visibly angry Jim Greene said his club is not prepared to tolerate what he described as this “unacceptable treatment”.
“I believe the winners of our county final replay are in with a great chance of again going all the way in Munster, and I hope that opportunity is not going to be denied us.
“If it is, it will be a travesty of justice,” said Greene.
Waterford have already been ruled out of the Munster club football championship, because of an inability to meet a November 16 first round date with Castlehaven.
It would be unprecedented, if the county is thrown out of both championships for that same reason in the same year.
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