Forbes says Munster must end ‘surreal’ Saturday night final fixtures

THE Munster Council should assume complete control of its championship fixtures schedule to ensure the glamour provincial senior hurling final is not played again on a Saturday evening.

That was the clear message last night from outgoing PRO Jim Forbes, a former Cork county board chairman, as he reflected upon last summer’s staging of the Cork-Waterford replay at Semple Stadium on July 17.

The attendance for Waterford’s extra-time victory was 22,673, down over 13,000 from the figure of 35,962 registered for the drawn game the previous Sunday. A request from Munster Council to play the game on the Sunday was turned down, with Croke Park arguing that such a fixture would not have made sense from a promotional perspective.

The Connacht and Ulster football finals had already been arranged for July 18, and TV coverage was a major consideration.

Speaking at 2011 Munster GAA convention at Ballykisteen Hotel, Forbes said: “There was a great atmosphere and it was a great game — everything was spot on but it was a bit surreal playing the Munster senior hurling final on Saturday evening. People were leaving Semple Stadium at 10pm or after.

“The date for the replay should be the sole right of Comhairle na Mumhan.”

Elsewhere, former GAA President and ex-Munster Council chairman Seán Kelly backed a proposal to name the Munster SHC trophy after the late Limerick legend Mick Mackey.

Kelly said: “Legends of that kind are rare and we lost another one recently — the great John Doyle (Tipperary). “Hopefully a time will come when he (Doyle) too can be honoured.”

Provincial council chiefs also confirmed a reduction in ticket prices for the 2011 championship season will be introduced, with outgoing treasurer Michael Power (Tipperary) warning that “the council must listen to the people.” He added: “If we don’t, we will pay a price for it.”

In his chairman’s address, Kerry’s Seán Walsh questioned the wisdom of retaining the interprovincial series and insisted that “it cannot be at the expense of the dates in which we play our club competitions.”

The former Kerry county board chairman also paid tribute to Croke Park officials for their work in brokering an historic partnership with the GPA.

He said: “Hopefully it will put to bed forever the unacceptable scenario of them and us or put more bluntly the players versus the rest.”

There was just one election to the Munster Council’s top table. Limerick’s Mike Fitzgerald defeated Kerry’s Derry Murphy 39-14 in the vote to succeed Power as treasurer. Tipperary’s Ed Donnelly has succeeded Forbes as PRO.