‘Bridge are against Ennis as semi venue
The 'Bridge argue that when the draws for the Munster Club championships were made, the Clare champions were given a home venue for their semi-final.
Munster Council secretary Donie Nealon said when the fixture came up for ratification three weeks ago there was no objection raised by the Clare delegate to the game being fixed for Cusack Park.
"How could we raise any objection?" said Sixmilebridge PRO Sylvester O'Connor. "We couldn't make any comment until such time as we had the Clare title won, and that was achieved after the fixture had been ratified by the council. It would make sense to play the game in Ennis if Clarecastle had won the county final as they don't have a venue at the moment up to the required standard.
"If our ground was suitable to host a Munster Club championship game between ourselves and Lismore back in 1998, why isn't it now? Extensive redevelopment has been carried out which includes a new stand and new dressing rooms.
"Since we have qualified for the game, we've not trained on the pitch in order to preserve the surface. It's in top class condition as we speak, and we are more than capable of hosting a big crowd, anywhere in the region of 6,000.
"Over 30 club personnel have been working extremely hard getting everything ready, and it would be a huge kick in the teeth for us if the game is taken from us at this late stage."
Sixmilebridge will lodge an appeal with the Munster Council which will be heard at their meeting on Thursday night.
But according to the council secretary, it will take a two-thirds majority to change the original fixture.
Sixmilebridge manager Paddy Meehan watched Blackrock struggle to overcome Kerry champions Kilmoyley on Saturday and admitted it was difficult to assess the Cork representatives on the day.
"Blackrock were in the driving seat most of the time, I felt. I'll tell you one thing though, I wouldn't fancy playing Kilmoyley below in Kerry, and that's what Blackrock had to do last year, go into the Kerry camp and win.
"Kilmoyley are a tough team. Their centre-forward (Ian Brick) was something else, a great player, gifted. Trying to throw the ball over fellas' heads in Cork and catch it at the other side you wouldn't do that unless you had fierce confidence in yourself, and he obviously had that."
Sixmilebridge have a good centre-forward themselves, inter-county midfielder/defender John Reddan, and Meehan reckons he's been played out of position by the Clare management.
"The only time they tried him at centre-forward was this year against Galway, about 10 minutes. I thought he was doing all right but then he was whipped off, as happened several times this year.
"I don't know where they were coming from, he's after putting down a hard year with Clare, but we've been playing him at centre-forward for the last three years, and he's been successful for us there anyway. He has a great engine, great pace, he'd stay going forever, and he has an eye for an opening too, scoring well for us lately."
There will be an onus on both Reddan and his inter-county colleague at full-forward, Niall Gilligan, to try and crack what is one surely one of the toughest defences in club hurling.
Blackrock will face a strong challenge trying to find scores of their own. And while Sixmilebridge don't have the big names of Blackrock, they're a very solid unit, none more so than the experienced John Chaplin at centre-back, and their own man mountain at full-back, Pat Hayes.
Sunday's game has a 2 pm start and will be refereed by Willie Barrett (Tipperary). The second semi-final, involving Mullinahone and Mount Sion, will be played in Walsh Park, also with a 2 pm start with Denis Richardson (Limerick) in charge.
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