TIPPERARY DUAL CLUB Cahir have decided not to field a team for their county junior A camogie championship final this weekend due to “player welfare issues” with 16 of their players involved in the senior A football final 26 hours later.
On Saturday at 12pm, Cahir were slated in to face Knockavilla in camogie decider, while at 2pm on Sunday, a date with Aherlow awaits in football showpiece.
“It’s about time now that there is a stop put to this,” as Tipperary ladies football star Aishling Moloney told The42 on Wednesday, outlining the situation and leading the chorus of frustration and disheartenment from her team-mates.
“How are we supposed to be on par with the men’s game?”
It was two-time All-Ireland champion and 2019 LGFA Intermediate Player of the Year Moloney who shared the Cahir letter to the Tipperary camogie board informing them of the club’s decision not to play on social media last night.
“It is with deep regret and with a heavy heart that as officers and management of Cahir camogie club, we have made the decision not to ‘field’ a team for the upcoming junior A county final this Saturday due to player welfare issues as outlined in previous correspondance,” it reads.
FINAL UPDATE: Signing off 🤦🏼@StephenGleeson_ @camogietipp pic.twitter.com/P8a1XCj159
— Aishling Moloney (@MoloneyAishling) September 24, 2020
“This is an unanimous decision, made in conjunction with our entire panel.
“We feel it is our responsibility to protect our players and therefore we cannot agree for them to participate in the game.”
The club has sought a report from the fixtures committee as to why the fixture could not be moved.
“It’s upsetting that we have to do this,” Moloney told RTÉ 2fm’s Game On last night. “There are girls on the camogie team who don’t play football.”
16 dual players have been impacted — 10 of whom start for both — including Moloney, Tipperary ladies football and Aussie Rules star Aisling McCarthy and Premier camogie player Róisín Howard.
As Moloney outlined earlier this week, Cahir played both codes on the same weekend, on 12/13 September. With Munster and All-Ireland championship out of the question for the camogie victors, the 22-year-old questioned why that clash could not be moved to next weekend or later.
The saga now comes to an unfortunate close after a week of back-and-forth between Cahir and the Tipperary camogie and ladies football county boards.
Pity as a club we’ve been given no other option than this 👇🏻. Thanks to @CahirClub for putting their playing members first, protecting player welfare and taking the situation out of our hands by taking this stance!! @TippFMSport @camogietipp https://t.co/nt0X2x80We
— Aisling McCarthy (@aish_mac) September 24, 2020
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