Waterford look set to miss provincial football deadline

Waterford are unlikely to be represented in this year’s Munster club senior football championship.

The provincial council has granted the Déise an extra week to complete both senior competitions but chairman Paddy Joe Ryan indicated at Monday’s county board meeting that the football will not be finished on time.

Waterford have been drawn away to the Cork champions on the first weekend of November.

The involvement of dual clubs in both championships means the SFC has come to a standstill. Kilrossanty, An Rinn, and Stradbally have already qualified for the semi-finals but nine teams are involved in a series of play-offs to determine the fourth slot.

GAA chiefs aim to run off the senior hurling championship by October 22 with the Tipperary champions awaiting the winners a week later in the provincial quarter-final.

“It’s desperately disappointing,” Ryan said of the backlog. “I’m devastated for the non-dual clubs because we’ve had a great championship so far. It looks like it’s going to be held up for a number of weeks now with clubs’ involvement in the senior hurling championship.”

Ryan is confident that Waterford will make the other provincial dates. Kilrossanty delegate Kevin Lonergan described it as “an awful pity” that the Déise won’t line out in Munster after The Nire reached the final last November.

“The hurlers got to an All-Ireland final but the clubs are now suffering.”

Waterford also missed the Munster club football deadline in 2003 and 2008.

Clubs voted unanimously to retain the All-Ireland hurling structure ahead of Special Congress on September 30. Joe Pollard from Lismore strongly opposed any change to the provincial format.

“It’s going to decimate the clubs if we have home and away matches in the Munster championship. It should be left alone,” he said.