Thurles to host Cork clash with Waterford

Thurles will host two Cork-Waterford clashes in the space of five weeks after it was yesterday confirmed Semple Stadium will stage Sunday week’s Division 1 final.

The game will throw in at 3.30pm and will be televised live by TG4.

As was anticipated, the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) selected the Tipperary venue for the clash. Although the counties don’t have a home-away arrangement, neither would have been in a position to host the game with Páirc Uí Rinn and Walsh Park unsuitable for such an attractive fixture.

By the time of their June 7 Munster semi-final, Cork and Waterford will have faced off in Semple Stadium four times in 13 months after their two provincial quarter-final matches last May and June.

Navan’s Páirc Tailteann will host the novel U21 All-Ireland final between Tipperary and Tyrone on Saturday week. The game has been fixed by the CCCC for a 6pm throw-in and will also be televised by TG4.

Meanwhile Tyrone hurling manager Mattie Lennon has launched a scathing attack on the GAA over its treatment of county teams operating at the lower levels.

Lennon is furious that his side was denied automatic promotion after winning Division 3A of the National Hurling League following an unbeaten run.

Instead, the Red Hands were forced to contest a relegation-promotion play-off against Donegal, who finally won out following a replay to retain their place in Division 2B.

“We shouldn’t have to play a promotion play-off after winning the league. Nobody else does it. It doesn’t happen at the top level,” Lennon blasted.

“The powers that be don’t care about it, that’s the bottom line. If they did, they would look at it, and they would realise that you win a competition, they put you out the following week to play another final against a supposedly higher level.”

Lennon also accused GAA officialdom of failing in its duty of care top players, claiming Tyrone should not have been compelled to play three important knockout games on successive weekends.

“A week to prepare after winning a competition, it’s totally ridiculous. It takes you a day or two to get over the win, and you have no time to prepare to play in what is basically another final.

“They have a duty of care to players, and if people can’t see the logic in that, well I don’t know. I don’t think the powers that be in Croke Park care about it. I think they just want to get these competitions over and done with as quick and as early as possible in the year so that they can deal with the major teams, the top 10 or 12 teams in the Liam MacCarthy.

“The league is over now, the Nicky Rackard will be done and dusted at the end of May or first week of June, so there’s no hurling in June, July, August, probably the three best months of the year to hurl in.”

And the Red Hand boss claimed that counties operating in the lower divisions are treated as second class citizens because they do not generate the levels of revenue which top teams attract.

“I don’t think Croke Park or the people in those committees really care about it.

“We don’t make money for them, so I don’t think we really matter, to be quite honest with you.

“I have seen a lot of reports. You can write all you want, you can read all you want. Paper doesn’t refuse ink, but doing is what I believe in.

“I’m basing that on facts. From my belief, we’re not getting a fair crack, and neither are a lot of the other counties either.”

He added that he is bitterly disappointed for his players after they lost by four points to Donegal in Saturday’s play-off replay at Celtic Park, missing out on back-to-back promotions.

“I’m annoyed, frustrated, but I’m totally disappointed for those bunch of players, who put a huge amount of effort in since November, right through.

“I’m absolutely gutted for the players, because, basically, we have played three finals in three weeks.

“We won the National League, and we had to come out last week and play a play-off, and this week again.

“It’s absolutely heart-wrenching, because these guys gave everything over the last couple of weeks.

“We came up a bit short, but in one sense I wasn’t surprised, because it was a very warm day, we had three tough matches on the trot, and it told in the end.

“But fair play to Donegal, they won it. They can’t do anything about the system. The system meant they had to play us in a promotion-relegation play-off.”