*Rory Hayes. Photograph: Joe Buckley
MUNSTER COUNCIL have agreed to implement a venue rota for the provincial senior hurling final which will see it played at three different venues.
At a meeting of the Munster Council on Thursday night, a decision was made regarding venues for future finals in the Munster senior hurling championship.
From this year, the rota between FBD Semple Stadium, Supervalu Páirc Uí Chaoimh and TUS Gaelic Grounds will begin with the three venues decided as hosts for Munster finals for the foreseeable future.
For finals involving Clare and/or Waterford, the deciders must be played at a neutral venue. Cork, Limerick and Tipperary will continue with their existing home and away agreements should any two of those counties qualify for the Munster Hurling Final.
Should Brian Lohan’s charges qualify for the Munster final for what would be the third year in a row, if their opposition is Waterford, Cork or Limerick the game will be played in Thurles while if Tipperary are the opponents then Páirc Uí Chaoimh is understood to be the venue.
This move from the Munster Council comes following Clare GAA’s intervention last year whereby they offered to play the Munster Final at TUS Gaelic Grounds rather than the game taking place in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
Chairman of Clare GAA, Kieran Keating in his report to County Convention explained, “our management team took the decision that our supporters and our players would be better served if we agreed with Limerick that we would play the final in the Gaelic Grounds, and the hurling public on both sides of the Shannon applauded the decision. Love nor money couldn’t get a spare ticket for the final and we were treated to another game for the ages by two evenly matched teams. Unfortunately a few spurned chances and a couple of arguable decisions that we didn’t get late in the game saw us come up short by the minimum margin, and that elusive Munster title remains on the wanted list for this panel of players and management team”.
