Rebels Online misses out as Cork GAA accepts TG4 request to broadcast Premier SHC final

With Cork GAA to pocket €15,000 from the TG4 broadcast, the executive’s decision to overlook their own streaming platform was a financially motivated one

Cork GAA have accepted TG4’s request to broadcast their Premier Senior hurling final on Sunday week, meaning the Imokilly-Sars decider will not be shown on the county board’s own streaming platform.

The Irish language broadcaster has not televised a Cork hurling final since Blackrock and Glen Rovers required extra-time in 2020. The Irish Examiner streamed the subsequent two Cork hurling deciders, with Rebels Online showing the Sars-Midleton showpiece of 12 months ago.

With Cork GAA to pocket €15,000 from the TG4 broadcast, the executive’s decision to overlook their own streaming platform was a financially motivated one.

One-off match passes for Rebels Online vary in price from €9.99-€14.99, and it was clearly felt sufficient pick-up wouldn't have been there to turn down the TG4 request.

The initial Rebels Online season pass came in at €79.99. A mid-season pass, covering 16 knockout fixtures, was then introduced and offered at €39.99. That mid-season pass will not now include Sunday week’s hurling final, what is a repeat of last year’s extra-time semi-final thriller shaded by Sars.

Pat Horgan has said there is “no update” on the county board-owned Kilbarry landbank

Elsewhere, Cork GAA chairman Pat Horgan has said there is “no update” on the county board-owned Kilbarry landbank that recently received planning permission for more than 300 homes.

The Irish Examiner sought to ask Horgan about the next steps in the Kilbarry process, but the chairman did not go beyond remarking that there was no update to be provided.

The landbank in Kilbarry, which was bought by the board in the 1960s to develop playing fields, is expected to be sold with planning in place for 319 homes, a créche and a riverside park.

There was also no update provided on whether the executive intend to continue the Cork football project coordinator post vacated by the retiring Conor Counihan last month. The position was created off a recommendation in the 2019 Cork football five-year plan. Its future now sits in uncertainty.

Separately, Horgan said the weather-enforced postponements of the past two weekends reinforced the importance of the inter-county season continuing to finish in July. Cork have been and continue to be one of the most vocal counties in calling for August to be left to club activity.

“Anybody that is saying there is wiggle room in the split season only has to look at what Cork county board had to do the last two weekends,” Horgan noted.

“Anyone that is talking about changing the inter-county fixtures back to September, even back to August, you can see what happens when you lose one week. We've had an orange warning two weekends in a row. We lost the first weekend. The second one, we made arrangements for it and moved a lot of fixtures from Saturday to Sunday.

“Sunday was a fantastic day at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and I’d like to thank all the stewards who put in a long shift. We'd rather not [have four matches at the one venue on the same day], but when your back is to the wall, you have to do these things. It is much better than playing midweek matches because it is not easy for teams to get organised midweek with lads working up the country.” 

The updated Cork master fixture plan shows that the Watergrasshill starters on the Imokilly team — Daire O’Leary, Adam Murphy, and Sean Desmond — will play their Premier Intermediate semi-final 24 hours before the East Cork division lines out in the Premier Senior decider, should Mallow overcome Nemo in this Sunday’s football semi-final.

If the Mallow footballers lose, then their hurling semi-final against Watergrasshill goes back to Saturday, October 26, a week after the Imokilly game.

The same applies for Nemo and their Premier Junior hurling semi-final against Russell Rovers. A Nemo win this Sunday, and the semi-final takes place the following weekend on October 19. A Nemo defeat this Sunday and the semi-final will throw-in on October 26.

The Cork representatives at both Premier Junior and Premier Intermediate level are in Munster club hurling action on the weekend of November 16/17. Horgan is confident all Cork champions will be crowned in time for provincial action.

“We want to give our respective county champions two weeks before they are in Munster, and in nearly all of the cases we will be able to achieve it. There may be one or two where we get caught, but certainly we are not in difficulty of not meeting our deadlines.”