Has the County Board a problem with Walsh Park?
Why isn't Walsh Park staging the county Senior football final this weekend? That's the big question. Photo: INPHO
The fixture list for next weekend’s five county football finals and the Senior relegation playoff was published and circulated on Sunday evening last following the results of the day. It shows the Intermediate Football Final and the Junior A Football Final fixed for Walsh Park as a double header on Saturday next and rightly so, as according to the County bye law that saw the Senior Hurling Final played in Fraher Field this year, despite the millions spent on our brand new Walsh Park, this is the year in which hurling finals are played in Fraher Field and Football Finals in Walsh Park.
On looking down the list however, we see that the football showpiece, the Senior Final is down for decision in Fraher Field on Sunday despite the fact that county champions Rathgormack, an Eastern club, are involved against Abbeyside/Ballinacourty, who have already played the Senior Hurling Final in Fraher Field. Surely an explanation should be forthcoming from the County Board as to why this is the case and please let it not be that the coming weekend is over loaded with final fixtures all of which must be played in Eastern venues in accordance with county bye law.
The questions to be answered are, did the County Board ask Rathgormack to play the final in Fraher Field and why, or, did Rathgormack request that the final be played in Fraher Field and not in Walsh Park. In either case the bye law is being flouted and if that can be done then why was the showpiece hurling final played in Fraher Field and not in the newly developed Walsh Park which has been proudly presented as the flag ship of Waterford GAA. How must this look to the GAA hierarchy and the Government who have put the money up for Walsh Park and are being asked for more to complete the development. Cork play all of their senior finals and others in Supervalue Pairc Ui Caoimh, Tipperary in Thurles, Kilkenny in Nowlan Park and Wexford in Wexford Park.
On Sunday last Gaultier, situated some fourteen miles from Waterford, were told to travel to Fraher Field to face local side Abbeyside/Ballinacourty in a county semi-final double header when Walsh Park was lying idle over the weekend with the Eastern Board playing two finals in Dunhill.
There is no earthly reason why all of next weekend’s finals must be played to a result on the day that could involve extra time and penalties.
The winners of the Intermediate Football Final between Tramore and Sliabh gCua, listed as the second game on Saturday’s double header, will not be involved in Munster Club competition, that honour will fall on Stradbally as Premier Intermediate champions. There is no reason then why that game could not be played a week later and the Junior game between Fenor and Ballyduff Upper played as a curtain raiser to the senior final in Walsh Park on Sunday. Likewise the Junior B final that sees Roanmore travelling to Fraher Field on Friday next to play Abbeyside/Ballinacourty could also be put back a week at least as there are no Munster obligations involved there and the game could be played in Walsh Park.
Last weekend we had the Eastern Board playing a Junior A Football final in Dunhill while four or five miles away, at the same time, the County Board were playing the relegation playoff between Roanmore and Brickey Rangers in Kill. On Sunday last the Premier Intermediate final was being played in Lemybrien at mid day ahead of the double header in Fraher Field while the Western Board played its Junior A Football Final in Lismore at 3 pm. Utter nonsense playing off games against each other and totally unfair to the various sponsors.
As far as the County and Eastern Boards have been concerned Walsh Park has virtually been in mothballs since the county hurling semi-finals in August and will see no major game in the near future unless Ballygunner can beat the winners of next weekend’s Limerick final when they meet away on the first weekend in November and so set up a home game against Tipperary’s Loughmore/Castleiney.
Walsh Park was in superb condition last Wednesday for the Dean Ryan Cup Colleges game that saw De La Salle beating Thurles C.B.S. by a point in a great game and again on Sunday morning with a big crowd in attendance for the replay of the U-15 County Hurling final that saw Ballygunner beating Na Risigh.
