Deegan urges better publicity for ticket packages

Clare selector Mike Deegan says the GAA could do more to publicise their ticket packages ahead of Sunday’s Munster SHC clash between the Banner and Waterford.

Last week Deise selector Ken McGrath pointed out that withWaterford suffering hugely in the recession, families would struggle to afford tickets for the game. Deegan agreed that attendance involves a“serious outlay” for hurling fans.

“Money is tight and nobody goes to games on their own any more, they want to bring the family or their friends. It’s a serious outlay for families so every incentive should be given to people. I know the GAA are trying to issue family tickets and so on but they could publicise it a bit better — unless you’re a member of a club youprobably wouldn’t find out about it (ticket schemes) until it’s too late.Publicising these deals would help.

“I know there was an issue with tickets on the day of the league final but that could be down to publicising what was on offer too, so there could be a bit more done there.”

Deegan says Clare’s preparations have gone well since their lastcompetitive outing, the defeat by Kilkenny in the Allianz Leaguesemi-final.

“That was the last competitive game and you don’ want a break. Before that game we had a match nearly every week, which is great, but thenKilkenny turned us over. We’veobviously had plenty of training sessions, and a few challenge matches, but there’s nothing like competitive games. We’ve had a few niggly injuries but nothing serious, I don’t think we’ll be missing anyone due to injury. The preparations have gone well.”

They’ll need to be ready: Waterford’s record in recent years is much better than Clare’s when it comes toachievements at senior level.

“There’s no point in beating around the bush, they’ve been in six of the last seven All-Ireland semi-finals. They might have some new guys coming in but they have a seriously experienced core of players. In fairness, we have lads who’ve been on the Clare panel for the last seven years or whatever but they wouldn’t have been playing in All-Ireland semi-finals in that time. We’ve got past the first round of the Munster championship something like once in the last eight years. There’s nothing like experience, it gives you confidence as well, but all we can do is focus on our lads and hope they can play as well as they can.”

At underage level Clare have been doing well, annexing Munster minor titles and an All-Ireland U21 crown in recent years. Deegan concedes, though, that they need to get those players to the next level.

“You can only use the excuse that they’re young for so long, some of these players have been on the senior panel for the last couple of years. It’s time that you’d want to win something, to give them confidence.

“They can’t just be on the panelwithout winning anything, so you’d love to win the game next Sunday. The incentive is that you’d be into an All-Ireland quarter-final, so there’s the guarantee of another couple of games.

“It’s time — we’d like to move on and we’d like to give the young ladssomething to build on.”

Deegan dismisses the recent talk about how the game is refereed: “All you’re looking for in a ref is consistency in the way he applies the rules, it doesn’t matter to us how he refs it — whether he lets the game go or blows for everything — because most players will adapt after ten minutes, they’ll see what the referee will and won’t allow and play accordingly.”