Fanning unhappy as Tipp games go ahead

Former Tipperary defender Declan Fanning has accused county board officials of not realising what it takes to prepare for an All-Ireland final after calls for the postponement of the weekend’s scheduled club fixtures were rejected.

Fanning spoke out after it was confirmed that semi-finals in all four divisions will go ahead just a fortnight before Tipp’s All-Ireland SHC final showdown with Kilkenny on September 7.

No fewer than 16 of Tipperary’s 26-man matchday squad for last weekend’s semi-final victory over Cork are scheduled to feature for their clubs, including 10 players who started the 10-point victory over the Rebels.

The match of most concern to Tipperary manager Eamon O’Shea is the Mid semi-final between Thurles Sarsfields and Drom & Inch in Templemore next Sunday. Six Tipp panellists are involved in this game, with Drom & Inch pair Séamus Callanan and James Woodlock in direct opposition to Thurles quartet Pádraic Maher, Lar Corbett, Michael Cahill and Denis Maher.

In the other Mid semi-final, Noel McGrath will play for Loughmore-Castleiney, with James Barrylining out for Upperchurch- Drombane.

In the North, Niall O’Meara, Tipp captain Brendan Maher and Paddy Stapleton are in action for their clubs, with Éire Óg Annacarty’s Conor O’Brien preparing for a West semi-final.

And in the South, Kieran Bergin and John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer will play for Killenaule against Ballingarry, with Mullinahone pair Paul Curran and Eoin Kelly expected to line out against Carrick Swan. County board officials did call off midweek games but chairman Sean Nugent claimed there is no room for more leeway, with Tipperary already facing a battle to provide representatives for the Munster Club championships later in the year.

But Fanning, right half back on Tipp’s 2010 All-Ireland winning team, told Tipp FM: “I seriously think the county board should go a step further and consider calling off all games at the weekend. Let’s try and go up to Croke Park on a level playing field.

“I think the county board don’t realise what it takes to get ready for an All-Ireland final. I’m only really speaking from my own experience back in 2010. After we beat Waterford in the All-Ireland semi-final, I then had to play with Killenaule on the Tuesday night in the South semi-final, which we won after extra-time, and then had to play the South final on the Sunday.

“On personal experience, that affected me going into the All-Ireland. A week after, when a lot of players were on a good week, I was nearly on a rest week. You can’t really count the week of the All-Ireland final because that’s only tapering off, getting together, team meetings, that kind of stuff.

“I’d just love if the county board gave this bunch of players everything they can to try and win this All-Ireland. And it would be a big help if they considered calling off the games at the weekend.”

Nugent responded: “Declan made a lot of valid points. There’s always the danger of injury and that’s the greatest fear that I have — that any player on the panel will get a serious injury.

“But the position is like this, and maybe Declan and some people out there don’t understand the situation, we were also involved in football and quite a number of club championship games had to fall by the wayside. We have no choice now but to play catch-up as best we can and actually even playing the games at the weekend may not be sufficient to get through our fixtures programmes in time for the Munster club fixtures.”

Meanwhile, assistant manager Michael Ryan has vowed Tipperary will be doing “everything in our power” to ensure Patrick ‘Bonner’ Maher will be fit for September 7.

Ryan admitted: “There is certainly some injury there. We’re not aware yet as to what it is.”