Hayes blasts 'crazy fixtures schedule'

THE planners who fixed Waterford to play Clare in the first round of the Munster championship next Sunday were blasted from an unexpected quarter yesterday.

Galway supremo Conor Hayes said it was grossly unfair to expect Waterford to play a league final and then turn out in the Munster championship just seven days later.

Hayes said it appears there are two separate bodies with responsibility for organising the league and the championship and neither are working in tandem. "In fact', said Hayes, "it would seem that they are operating in opposition to each other.

"If the powers that be want to give due credit and recognition to the National League then they should not be coming up with that kind of crazy fixtures schedule', Hayes said.

He said Waterford could not avoid having the Clare game on their minds as they prepared for this league decider.

Hayes was delighted with his own charges, insisting that with the league now in safe keeping they can knuckle down to preparing for what he pledged will be an all-out assault on the championship. While they began to run out of steam in the closing stages he never believed they would be overtaken.

"We had a lot of young players out there today who were playing in their first league final, and in that context this is a great result for them and for the team in general."Fulsome in his praise of his defenders, Hayes singled out corner-backs Damien Joyce and team captain Ollie Canning for special mention, describing them as "the two best corner-backs in the country".

"We resisted most of the pressure that Waterford applied, and there wasn't a trace of panic at any stage. Every player kept his focus, and I am delighted with both the display and the result."

Full-forward Eugene Cloonan, who was a constant threat, said they were delighted to win the league: "It means everything to us right now, and most especially for the younger team members who had never even sampled the atmosphere of league final day until now."

Cloonan also admitted that the GAA fixtures planners had not done Waterford any favours, but said the advantage to another competitive outing might yet work to their benefit.

"I don't believe Waterford did themselves justice today and I certainly wouldn't write off their championship chances'', said the prolific scoring forward.

"In my book they remain deadly serious contenders."