Milton defends final replay timing

CROKE PARK has defended the timing of Saturday’s replayed Munster final on the basis that it would have been counter-productive to play the Cork-Waterford fixture at the same time as high-profile matches elsewhere.

Waterford’s clash with the Leesiders attracted only 22,763 spectators to Semple Stadium on Saturday evening after a request from the Munster Council to play the game on the Sunday afternoon was turned down.

Munster PRO Jim Forbes has already expressed disappointment at the timing of the replay and claimed that one of the GAA’s glamour fixtures should not have been relegated to such an unheralded slot.