Cork boss feels All-Ireland ladies' football semi-final against Meath should be moved from Tuam to Croke Park

BY KIERAN McCARTHY

CORK ladies football manager Ephie Fitzgerald believes that the Rebels’ All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Meath should be moved to Croke Park on Sunday and take the place of the postponed All-Ireland SFC semi-final between Kerry and Tyrone.

The Rebels are scheduled to take on the Royals in Tuam at 1.45pm on Saturday, but Fitzgerald believes there is now an opportunity to move their game to the 3.30pm time-slot on Sunday that had been allocated to Kerry v Tyrone.

The All-Ireland U20 football final between Offaly and Roscommon is going ahead in Croke Park this Sunday as planned, at 1.30pm.

‘As far as I am concerned, now that the Kerry and Tyrone game is postponed, it would be a great double-header to put our game against Meath on in Croke Park,’ Fitzgerald told The Southern Star.

‘It will give the game the recognition that an All-Ireland semi-final deserves as well.

‘I think it would be a very attractive double-header. Who knows what will happen but we will get on with it whatever the outcome.’

Fitzgerald is unhappy with the arrangements for Saturday’s semi-final against Meath in Tuam, as the second semi-final, Dublin v Mayo, will be played in Croke Park at 3.45pm.

‘We have to stay in Shannon on Friday night because that’s as close as we could get to to Tuam. For the West Cork girls we can’t go up on the morning because it’s an early match and that’s not feasible. Instead, we have to spend the night in Shannon, travel on Saturday morning and play the game at 1.45pm. It’s crazy, there’s no sense to it,’ Fitzgerald said.

‘With the Covid situation the way it is now, this variant is rampant and the more time you spend together the more likely you are to pick up something.

‘We would much prefer to travel on the day of the game to the match but because the game is on at 1.45pm, you would be talking about the likes of Áine Terry O’Sullivan in Allihies getting up at four in the morning, travelling to Cork and then we all leave from there to Tuam.

‘We are talking about equality, but where is the equality there? I can’t understand how you can bring two teams from two provinces to a different province. I don’t understand it.’