Talks bid to avert clash with ladies’ final

NEGOTIATIONS are underway in an attempt to have the Waterford SHC quarter-final between De La Salle and Tallow switched from Sunday to Saturday to avoid a clash with the TG4 All-Ireland Ladies finals.

Most participating counties on Sunday have freed up their fixture schedules to give supporters the opportunity to travel to Croke Park but Waterford has three quarter-finals arranged despite the appearance of the county’s ladies footballers in the IFC decider.

There is an extra difficulty for De La Salle coach Michael Ryan, as the man who led the Déise to five senior ladies football All-Irelands is now a key member of the Dublin management, with his side pitted against Tyrone in the showpiece decider at 4pm. Apart from that, Ryan has three daughters involved in the Waterford panel for their clash with Donegal at 2pm.

Ladies Gaelic Football Association President Pat Quill has expressed hope that the situation would be resolved and praised other county’s for fixtures freeze.

“Most counties are off,” said Quill at Croke Park yesterday. “I know there are discussions in Waterford at the moment. De La Salle are playing in the county hurling quarter-final. Michael Ryan is coaching them and he’s involved with Dublin and his three daughters are playing with Waterford, so hopefully that (Waterford quarter-final) will be switched to Saturday.

“Apart from that, I would like to thank the county boards for their help and cooperation. I know the Wexford County Board made it very clear to me when Wexford were in the semi-final, and the camogie girls were in their semi-final at that stage, that if they reached an All-Ireland final there’d be no GAA fixtures.”