Munster Council opt for return to football seeding

The support of Limerick and Waterford were key factors in swinging the vote in favour of the Munster SFC returning to a seeded draw for 2014.

At a meeting last night, the Munster Council voted to send Cork and Kerry straight into semi-finals at opposite sides of the draw, greatly increasing the counties’ chances of meeting in the provincial final.

The other four counties will be drawn into two quarter-finals, with one winner progressing to meet Cork and the other advancing to a clash against Kerry.

While an open draw system has been in place for the past five years, Munster chiefs have made clear that a decider between Cork and Kerry generates more revenue for the province. A return to seeding was mooted at a council meeting in June of 2012 but ultimately not followed up.

Limerick, with two board delegates and a committee member, had taken the decision to support the motion and the county proposed it last night, with Cork seconding.

“We voted in favour of it,” said Limerick secretary Michael O’Riordan. “The decision came from our football committee and we endorsed that, our Munster Council delegate was instructed to vote in favour of the motion.”

Reaction on social media from Limerick quarters was not as supportive, however. County footballer Pa Ranahan was critical, tweeting the provincial council: “Congrats on pulling that stroke. Wonder why there was no seeding last year?? Oh ya, cos Cork & Kerry wernt in 2012 final #Joke”.

Like Limerick, Waterford supported the motion on the advice of county manager Niall Carew.

“I think it suits us to play someone of our own standard at the beginning of the championship,” Carew said.

“It’s better to get a game behind us rather than going in, as we did this year, for our first game against Kerry in Fitzgerald Stadium, with Kerry already having played a game.

“I think that it will do the other counties good to play off against each other first.”

Tipperary and Clare both voted against the motion. “We opposed it, and obviously we’re disappointed that it didn’t win sufficient support,” said Tipp PRO Ger Ryan.

Tipp had proposed an alternative system, whereby Cork and Kerry would go straight into the semi-finals but that the draw for the last four would be an open one. This was not voted on, however.

The seeding system had operated until 1990 but was changed for the ’91 season, with Limerick reaching that year’s final, while Clare won the title in ’92. While Tipperary also reached a final in 1992, and Limerick were strong in the mid-2000s, the Banner were the only county apart from the ‘big two’ to claim honours.

In 2007, Munster opted to return to seeding but this decision was subsequently reversed.

- Clare have made one change in personnel for Saturday’s All-Ireland U21 hurling final against Antrim at Semple Stadium (5pm).

Cathal Malone of Ennistymon comes into the side at left half-forward instead of the injured Aaron Cunningham in a side otherwise unchanged from that which beat Galway in the semi-final. David McInerney, Colm Galvin, Tony Kelly and Podge Collins all started for the Banner senior side in last Sunday’s drawn All-Ireland senior final against Cork.

CLARE (U21H v Antrim): R Taaffe (Tubber); P Flanagan (Ballyea), D McInerney (Tulla), J Browne (Ballyea); S Morey (Sixmilebridge), A O’Neill (St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield), S O’Halloran (Clarecastle); C Galvin (Clonlara), T Kelly (Ballyea); P Duggan (Clooney-Quin), P Collins (Cratloe), C Malone (Ennistymon); C O’Connell (Clonlara), S O’Donnell (Éire Óg), D O’Halloran (Éire Óg).