CORK HURLING FANS will be on the road again next summer after seeing their team paired with Tipperary in last night’s draws for the 2017 championships.
The Rebels will face the reigning All-Ireland champions in a Munster senior hurling quarter-final for the second year running. Tipp began their march to the Liam MacCarthy Cup this year by recording a nine-point win against Cork at Semple Stadium on 22 May.
With a home-and-away arrangement in place between the counties for championship fixtures, the next meeting of the rivals was due to take place on Leeside. However, Cork County Board chairman Ger Lane has said today that they will be forced to surrender home advantage again in 2017 as redevelopment works at Páirc Uí Chaoimh won’t be completed.
“Our position on Páirc Uí Chaoimh hasn’t changed, irrespective of the draws last evening. Páirc Uí Chaoimh is scheduled to be opened in July,” Lane told Lisa Lawlor this morning on Cork’s RedFM.
“I’m not sure of the scheduling of our game against Tipperary but I would imagine it will be prior to that. If that’s the case, we won’t be in a position to host the Cork/Tipperary game because our schedule is for July and it’s a tight schedule as it is.”
The €70million redevelopment works on Páirc Ui Chaoimh began in 2015. The venue hasn’t hosted a game since Austin Stacks defeated The Nire in the Munster Club senior football final in December 2014.
“I think it would be a great achievement having it open in July and such a quick turnaround,” said Lane. “It’s likely that this game will probably be in the month of May so it would be out of the question really that we would be able to host a game six weeks in advance of the current deadline to have the stadium completed.”
Lane added that while Cork are now facing into a second consecutive championship game against Tipperary in Thurles, their home-and-away arrangement will ultimately even itself out once Páirc Uí Chaoimh is ready for use again.
He said: “We have home-and-away arrangements with a number of counties and Tipperary are one of those. Thurles is still a great venue from a Cork point of view. If we travel away to Tipperary, it just means that we’re owed a further game by Tipperary.
“When the stadium is opened, we will have many of our games back in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. It’s just a slight delay I suppose but we’d be happy enough to travel to Thurles in that event. We have a home-and-away arrangement with them and if it extends to another year, so be it.”
Lane admitted that the 2017 Munster senior football final could potentially be the first game played at the new Páirc Uí Chaoimh. However, Cork will have to overcome Waterford and 2016 All-Ireland semi-finalists Tipperary to reach the decider. On the other side of the draw, Kerry will face Limerick or Clare in a provincial semi-final.
