AHEAD of any replay situation arising in provincial championship finals, the CEO of Munster GAA had given his reasoning behind no second day out, which led to the nail-biting and controversial penalty shoot-out between Limerick and Cork last Saturday.
In his annual report (2024), delivered earlier this year, Kieran Leddy cautioned against the association returning to such a facility, introduced in recent years to accommodate the new split/condensed season.
“If a replay were to return for provincial hurling finals, the wait for the Munster champions for the All-Ireland semi-final would extend from four to five weeks,” Leddy stated.
“Yes, a replay ‘could’ bring an extra €1m of income to the provincial council, but far more often than not the replay weekend would be idle and the potential financial gain once every nine years (on average), can hardly justify decreasing the chances of our champions progressing to the All-Ireland final because of the five-week wait. Advantage should always follow the team that wins a championship.”
As a solution, Leddy put forward the idea of the All-Ireland semi-finals taking place the weekend after the quarter-finals and the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals organised for the weekend following the provincial finals.
“That would mean the team that finishes third in Munster and reaches an All-Ireland semi-final plays three weekends in a row, while the provincial final runner-up has a two-week break to the quarter-final with the semi-final the week after. The provincial winner has a three-week gap to the semi-final, which is probably the perfect gap.”
GAA president Jarlath Burns earlier this week called for a “review” into the restoration of provincial replays while also stating that penalties are not the solution to deciding deadlocked finals.
Of the situation at the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday, Burns insisted that it isn’t the way he wants to see silverware decided.
“I don’t agree that penalties are the best way to end any final,” he told RTÉ Sport.
“Coming from Armagh (who have lost aplenty on penalties), that’s definitely my position,” he said in a nod to his native county’s struggles from the dreaded penalties.
Since the inception of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship, almost 140 years ago, there have been around a dozen replays.
A Limerick/Cork replay last happened in 1944, with the Leesiders the better on the second occasion, 4-6 to 3-6, at Thurles Sportsfield.
The most recent such a scenario was in 2010 when Waterford beat Cork in a second outing at Semple Stadum, Thurles.
Limerick were last engaged in a replay back in 1996.
Ourselves and Tipperary drew at the Gaelic Grounds and next day at Páirc Uí Chaoimh it finished: Limerick 4-7 to 0-16.
The goals arrived from Owen O’Neill (2) of Murroe/Boher and Garryspillane duo Frankie Carroll and TJ Ryan.
Interestingly, Kerry’s only Munster Senior Hurling success (1891) came via a replayed final win over Limerick, 2-4 to 0-1, in Abbeyfeale.
The drawn decider, 1-2 apiece, had taken place in Newcastle West.
