Waterford board refuse Fitzgerald’s postponements request

WATERFORD hurling manager Davy Fitzgerald will be living on his nerves this weekend, hoping that none of his players will pick up injuries in advance of the July 11 Munster final showdown with Cork at Semple Stadium.

Fitzgerald had appealed in vain – both verbally and in writing – to the county board to call off the third-round series of group games in the county senior football championship in which seven key members of the hurling panel will be involved.

The players involved are the Ardmore trio of Clinton Hennessy and the Prendergast brothers, Seamas and Declan, the Fourmilewater/Nire duo of Shane Walsh and Liam Lawlor, Ballinacourty’s Richie Foley, and Michael “Brick’’ Walsh of Stradbally.

The manager spoke of the proximity of the game to the hurling decider and expressed his fears that injuries could seriously derail their chances of landing their fourth provincial title in nine years.

Board delegates, however, insisted that all six games should go ahead as scheduled this weekend, with one delegate asking if it is the intention to “wrap the hurlers up in cotton wool’’.

County secretary Timmy O’Keeffe also came out strongly against any postponements.

“We have been postponing games for 50 years and where has it got us?’’ he said.

“If we concede these postponements dual clubs could be asked to play 14 weeks in a row, and how fair is that?’’

After this weekend, Fitzgerald and his hurling management team will be given a clear run to Munster final day, with no further games involving members of the county panel.

“We will all be keeping fingers tightly crossed that there will be no injury mishaps this weekend,’’ said county chairman Tom Cunningham.

As the build-up to the hurling final continues, Dungarvan’s Jamie Nagle remains the single most serious injury concern for Fitzgerald.

Nagle was withdrawn at half time in the semi-final against Clare after suffering a reoccurrence of a hamstring problem.

Since then he has missed out on a club championship game with Dungarvan and challenge games against Wexford and Tipperary inside the last five days.