'Unjust and indefensible' - Clare chairman Kieran Keating describes Munster SFC seeding
As Clare's Munster Council delegate Bernard Keane claimed Limerick voted for the proposal on Thursday night whereas they, Tipperary and Waterford opposed it, Keating argued the province were wrong to award Cork and Kerry byes based on an Allianz Football League that has already taken place.
'It's disappointing that it's been introduced now in this sort of short order based on positions in a league that's already finished before the decision has arrived at,' he told Clare FM's 'Morning Focus' on Friday.
'That's rather unjust and indefensible, really. You know that there's certainly an injustice in that as we would see it anyway and I think as any right-minded person would see it.'
Keating continued: 'We'd argue that Cork's record against Kerry is comparable to ours over the last decade or so and we're obviously disappointed now that when Cork are in a slightly better position than us that they've started taking advantage.'
Clare's Munster Council delegate Bernard Keane claimed Limerick backed the motion having had a counter-proposal to delay the decision turned down.
Joining Clare in voting 'no' were Tipperary and Waterford. The province's entire management committee, who put forward the proposal, backed it including Tipperary and Waterford figures.
'The Limerick situation was disappointing as well because our understanding was that the management of the Limerick senior football team and the players were against the motion yet their delegate last night voted in favour of it. That's probably their business at this stage to figure that one out but at the end of the day we were defeated because we didn't have the Limerick support.'
After reaching a Tailteann Cup final last month, Keane was taken aback that Limerick would back the motion. 'Other than Kerry, I think Limerick are the most improved team in Munster this year and it's surprising to see that that went down that road.'
Keane stated Clare were the losers and Cork 'the big winners' from the decision and expressed his worry that along with football's rule changes the gap between the established counties and developing ones will grow.
'My concern is that the strong will get stronger and the weak get weaker and we're introducing that at this particular time why not give it a time for us for the new rules and see how other counties perform with the new rules. How can we adjust? Can the Clare guys and the Tipperary guys and Waterford and Limerick guys kick a ball over the bar from 40 yards in the same format as Kerry and Cork? I don't believe so.'
Keating said the decision is 'open to appeal' and they could make a case to the Central Appeals Committee. 'There's no point in appealing something unless you have grounds that you can win on. It's foolish to go taking on something like that without having clear rules to win an appeal, so that's obviously what we'd consider now.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
21 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Friday night LOI previews: Derry look to add to Cork pain while Drogheda will sense an opportunity
(Ryan McBride Brandywell, 7.45) Team news: Derry lose newcomer Alex Bannon to suspension. Fiacre Kelleher is a concern for Cork. Talking point: Cork's bruised players will take heart from last week's win over Galway United, especially the clean sheet (only their second of the season) while Derry spent the week picking over the bones of their collapse in Dublin against Shamrock Rovers. This Derry side – especially a new-look defensive unit manned by July signings – is still bedding in but Tiernan Lynch has more options squad-wise than Ger Nash. Ref: Declan Toland Odds: Derry 4/11, Cork 15/2, draw 10/3 Verdict: Home win DROGHEDA UNITED v WATERFORD (Sullivan & Lambe Park, 7.45) Team news: Drogheda are missing Paul Doyle, Elicha Ahui and Steve Zishim Bawa but Warren Davis is back to full fitness. Waterford duo Kacper Radkowski and Matty Smith are out long term but otherwise the Blues have a full squad. Talking point: Back-to-back 1-0 wins show Drogheda have a formula that works, like winning away to Bohs last week despite having a small amount of possession. With some of their rivals for a top-three finish in European action this week, this is an ideal chance for Kevin Doherty's men to continue their march.
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Derry's Jordan Coyle grabs another win at Dublin Horse Show
Derry's Jordan Coyle scored his second win in as many days at the 2025 Dublin Horse Show, with a superb performance in today's Cashel Palace Hotel Stakes. Riding the 14-year-old gelding Chaccolino, Coyle was one of six riders to make it into the jump-off. His second round clear in 37.19 seconds proved unbeatable, with American world number eight McLain Ward and Imperial HBF taking runner-up spot in 38.56, while Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa recorded his second podium finish of the week, taking third place with Major Tom. Tipperary's Tom Wachman earlier warmed-up for Friday's Aga Khan with a victory in the Anglesea Speed Stakes. Wachman guided the nine-year-old mare Hawaii to the fastest clear in 69.51 seconds, to finish just ahead of Switzerland's Bryan Balsiger in second with Fais Toi Belle du Seigneur Pleville (69.65), while Denis Lynch finished third with Katja (70.10). Irish riders have now taken victory in four of the five international competitions so far at the Dublin Horse Show and will be hoping that winning form continues on Friday for the team, who have been drawn fifth to jump in the Nations Cup of Ireland for the famous Aga Khan trophy. The Netherlands will be the pathfinders followed by Canada, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Great Britain, Mexico and defending champions USA. Team manager Michael Blake has named a four-man team of Tipperary's Denis Lynch with Vistogrand, Tipperary's Tom Wachman with Tabasco De Toxandria Z, Kilkenny's Seamus Hughes Kennedy with ESI Rocky (ISH) and Meath's Cian O'Connor with Bentley De Sury. For Wachman, his Aga Khan appearance comes 10 years after his first jumped in the famous Ballsbridge arena in 2015 in the 12.2 pony competition. "That's probably my first real memory. It's a great class, always scheduled after the Aga Khan. There's usually a good crowd for it, and it's very fast and competitive," the 20-year-old recalls. "It's a home show, with a big crowd here, and everyone's supporting the Irish. You meet a lot of people you mightn't see all year, but you meet them in Dublin—that's how it has always been since I started coming here. It's a special week, and I always look forward to it." Ireland's last Aga Khan win came in 2022 and they go in search of what would be their 25th Aga Khan victory in front of their home fans.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Clifford: 'To be told that we'd be put out of our misery... that's why we were so hurt'
Apart altogether from its depth and range of talent, Paudie Clifford rates this Kerry team the fittest he has played on. "It is, I think. A lot of us are coming to our peak and it's just the years of hard work. "It's not like we did a lot of extra work in the gym (this year). We might have done a bit more on the pitch, started a bit earlier. But I think it's just us coming to our peak years and our bodies developing. "There might have been one or two fellas who felt they were a bit heavier, or the opposite, needed to put on a bit of muscle, who did that this year. "And I know for a fact the hunger is going to be there to try and be fitter and stronger for next year." Speaking on The Square Ball podcast, Clifford expects manager Jack O'Connor to row back on his hints that he will now step away from the job. "I think so. I haven't been talking to him or anything about it, but I think he should. "Our squad depth was underated, but it's going to be very important for all those lads to keep pushing on. It's no good doing it for one year. Winning two All-Irelands isn't enough for this team. We need to keep going. There is nothing wrong with two All-Irelands but there wouldn't be much point resting on our laurels in our peak years." Former Kerry star Darran O'Sullivan agrees O'Connor will find chasing back-to-back titles too sweet a carrot to resist. "Jack would be crazy to leave. This team is not even at the peak of its powers, it's only moving into that stage." The pair also made efforts to untangle the powerful and almost magical ability of Kerry footballers to get annoyed and motivated at being criticised by other Kerry footballers who they know well are only doing it to annoy and motivate them. After the All-Ireland final win, Clifford rounded on the critics who had supposedly written off Kerry, while earlier in the season Jack O'Connor took former star Darragh Ó Sé to task for a critical Irish Times column written after the defeat by Meath, when he talked of an air of finality around Kerry's season. Clifford expanded: "Obviously some of the comments that were made... one of them was to be put out of our misery. "I know Darragh meant it to get a reaction. I'd never say anything about Darragh. Darragh is the man. He definitely got a reaction. "I think it was just that we work so hard as a team, and the management team, and fellas have wanted to play for Kerry all their lives, to be told that we'd be put out of our misery... that's why we were so hurt about it. "It motivates you, it motivated us. Again, we're our own biggest critics, we reallised we underperformed as a team in some of the last few years. To only have one All-Ireland for the talent we feel we have, we fully admitted it ourselves. "But you just use the outside noise as a motivator just to give you another edge. You know none of the comments are personal or anything like that. We knew that a lot of the comments were true, that we have underperformed in some bigger games and lost some games we could have won." While almost every GAA team has harnessed, at times, the power of being 'written off coming up here today', O'Sullivan accepted the Kingdom has limitless energy resources in this area. "You can guarantee with some of the former players, they're saying 'we'll throw the knife in here' and we'll see the boys coming back. There is nothing more dangerous than a wounded animal. "I think it's a good thing to be honest." Are Kerry champions of this fine art too? O'Sullivan added: "I don't think other counties do it. Or they don't do it as well as we do anyway." "It's possible," Clifford accepted, of Kerry's uniqueness in this field. "There's probably only a bit of craic in it at times. You might hop off each other if we met each other in the street. We'd be slagging each other about it. That's kind of the way it is down here." Whatever way it is, Clifford suggested the reaction in-house to that infamous defeat by Meath shaped Kerry's performances on the run to the final. "The mindet was different on the Monday. "We might have scraped those few games (without that defeat) but I don't think we'd have had the three massive performances that we did. "When you win a game, even by a point, you're not as critical of yourselves as you should be."
