CORK LADIES FOOTBALL manager Eamonn Ryan and Ciara O’Sullivan are united in their condemnation of another dual fixtures clash next weekend.
Cork are senior Munster and All-Ireland champions in both Ladies Football and camogie but are scheduled to play big championship games in both codes next Saturday.
A similar situation arose in May when Cork were fixed to replay their Tesco NFL Division final replay with Galway just hours after the Munster senior camogie final against Tipperary.
Dual stars Rena Buckley and Briege Corkery lined out for the footballers only, with Meabh Cahalane released to the camogie team for their fixture in Cashel before she linked up with the football camp in Portlaoise.
It is believed that the three players will be available for both teams on Saturday as the venues are within 40 minutes of each other.
Cork are playing Offaly at Páirc Uí Rinn at 2pm in an All-Ireland senior camogie championship group fixture ahead of the TG4 Munster senior football final against Kerry in Mallow at 6pm.
“I suppose the one word you would use is that it’s extraordinary,” said Ryan.
“What can you do? You have no say.”
O’Sullivan described the scenario as “ridiculous”, adding that the three dual players been placed in an unfortunate situation.
She said: “It’s a bit ridiculous really. It’s very unfair on the girls.
“It’s unfair on both teams to have players playing two matches but particularly on the girls (involved in both).
“It’s not the first time and if both teams are to get further, it won’t be the last time either.
“At this level, no matter how much you convince yourself that you can, you can’t give both 100 per cent commitment on the same day, it’s just not possible.
“I don’t know whose fault it is but it just does seem avoidable.”
She added: “I think both teams are going on the assumption that they’ll both have them – I don’t know if that’s the right thing or wrong thing to do or not but you wouldn’t like trying to picture a Munster final without the two girls.
“They’ve been our midfield for the whole League and last year as well (Corkery and Buckley).
“They’d be very hard to replace and I’m sure it would be the same story for the camogie.”
Clare are faced with an identical situation on Saturday as their senior camogie team is scheduled to play Dublin, with the ladies footballers in action in the Munster intermediate final against Waterford at 4pm.
No time or venue has yet been fixed for the camogie fixture but it is understood that a 12pm throw-in time is being explored, which would give four dual players some time to make it to Mallow for the football match.
As the Ladies football matches involving Cork and Clare are provincial fixtures, Association President Marie Hickey insists that her hands are tied when it comes to finding some form of compromise.
She explained: “They are provincial fixtures so from a national point of view we don’t have a direct influence on it.
“As far as I know they are working so they (Clare’s game) are not actually going to be on at the same time.
“There are other things that impinge on both teams playing the day before or day after so it’s a difficult one.
“For dual players it is very difficult. Obviously that is the nature of being a dual player.
“There aren’t enough weekends in the year to play one game this weekend and camogie the next weekend.
“It is an issue and if you are a dual player you take that on board somewhat as well.”
