Ladies fear clash of games could overshadow final

KERRY Ladies football officials have expressed disappointment at the decision to play Sunday’s TG4 Munster SFC final against Cork on the same day as the counties’ male teams play in the All-Ireland quarter-finals.

The girls of Cork and Kerry will contest a blue riband final in Killarney at the weekend but the occasion is set to be completely overshadowed by the Cork-Galway and Kerry-Mayo double header in Dublin that same afternoon.

"We exhausted every avenue trying to get the date changed or at least the time," said Kerry chairperson John O'Connor yesterday. "As it is now our game will be starting at the same time as one of the quarter-finals in Croke Park which isn't ideal."

Before their semi-final defeat of Waterford, Kerry were under the impression that the Munster Council had brought the decider forward by 24 hours. But O'Connor learned differently on the way back from the win in Dungarvan.

The snag lies in the Cork camp where three players sisters Sinead and Deirdre Reilly and Geraldine Flynn will be attending weddings on the Saturday. Tipperary, who face Cork in the junior decider in Killarney had similar restrictions.

With the Cailini Oga final between Kerry and Limerick making it a triple header, room for manoeuvre was squeezed further with the dwindling daylight hours ruling out evening throw-ins.

The bottom line is that the attendance figures will inevitably suffer, as will the game's exposure with column inches and airwaves certain to be dominated by the goings on in Dublin at Killarney's expense.

"We would have liked if something was done to change it but the fact that it's a triple header makes it all the more difficult," said O'Connor. "It's a pity because we're all trying to promote the game and this doesn't help.

"Okay, maybe there won't be a whole mass of people travelling to Dublin for the mens' games but people will still be watching them on TV from their own homes and that will affect our matches."

Despite the cramped fixture lists in hurling, football, camogie and Ladies football, O'Connor believes that such scenarios can be easily avoided in future.

"What I would like to see happening down the road is for games not to be fixed for dates where there's likely to be qualifiers or quarter-finals, especially where the same counties are likely to be involved.

"Okay, no-one can know whether Kerry or Cork will be involved in a quarter-final on such and such a date at the start of the year but it's not that hard to fix a game for a Saturday instead of a Sunday.

"I know it can seem at times like we're always trying to do everything to suit the other crowd but the national executives decide their fixtures at the start of the year and they should take into account when the provincial councils are deciding their own."