TIPPERARY GAA OFFICIALS have moved to reschedule their club championship schedule in the wake of the county senior football side’s All-Ireland round three qualifier victory against Antrim yesterday afternoon by postponing three ties that had been pencilled in for today.
The fixtures, which involved several members of the Premier football panel, were called off this morning in order to allow the Tipperary squad to prepare properly for their round four tie next weekend against the losers of today’s Ulster final between Down and Donegal. It is understood that the Tipperary players were extremely unhappy with being asked to line out for their clubs less than 24 hours after defeating the Saffron county in Semple Stadium and particularly with their fourth championship game in as many weeks looming large next weekend.
The South Tipperary senior football semi-final between Clonmel Commercials and Killenaule was scheduled to take place this afternoon at 4pm with Clonmel Commercials trio Michael Quinlivan, Aldo Matassa and Donal Lynch along with Killenaule defender Paddy Cod, the Tipperary representatives set to be in action.
Then there were two first round games in the Tipperary county senior football championship pencilled in for this evening with Moyle Rovers, who have county men in Alan Campbell, Peter Acheson, Brian Mulvihill and Martin Dunne, down to face Clonmel Óg who had Darragh Kearney on the panel. Finally Fethard, the club of Tipperary net minder Paul Fitzgerald, had been slated to face Ardfinnan.
The Tipperary players expressed their displeasure with the fixture situation and the county board have now opted to call the games off which will allow Peter Creedon’s side to now focus on next weekend’s tie. The Tipperary squad underwent a recovery session using the pool facilities this morning in the Horse & Jockey Hotel and are now 70 minutes away from an appearance in the All-Ireland quarter-finals in Croke Park after having won three senior football championship games for the first time since 1998.
