Fitzgerald facing U21 fixture headache

WATERFORD boss Davy Fitzgerald has admitted that it is not ideal that the county’s Munster U21HC opener against Cork is fixed five days before their provincial SHC semi-final against Clare.

Fitzgerald has drafted a number of the U21s onto the senior panel with Noel Connors, Shane Fives, Stephen Daniels, Maurice Shanahan and Thomas Ryan all fighting for places in his starting fifteen, yet that quintet now face a hectic fixture schedule with an U21 championship tie on Wednesday, June 2 in Páirc Ui Chaoimh and the senior tie against Clare on Monday June 7 in Semple Stadium.

Fitzgerald said: “I wouldn’t be happy with that. It isn’t an ideal situation but we’ll have to deal with it. We’ll have to get on with it now. At least we’ll get to look at them in a championship game before the seniors play.”

Meanwhile Waterford defender Jamie Nagle is not expected to face a long stint on the sidelines despite limping off in his club Dungarvan’s county SHC tie against Lismore on Sunday afternoon. Nagle pulled a hamstring and exited the action before half-time but could yet play a role for his club in championship next weekend.