Waterford hurler Conor Gleeson braved his way through the snow on Sunday to make it to the Deise’s Division 1A relegation play-off with Cork.
Gleeson started his journey to Páirc Uí Rinn on the back of a tractor but then had to turn around and head home after it became clear that that plan was not going to work.
The Nire-Fourmilewater clubman was a late arrival after getting snowed in and Waterford manager Derek McGrath revealed that the defender played on an empty stomach.
“We got a message at 11.15am to say that he was on the back of a tractor and the tractor had to turn back,” McGrath told the Waterford News & Star.
“Then they got a four-wheel drive jeep out of his home. It probably serves to highlight, not the madness of it, but the dangers of the weather at this time of year.
“It was a freak in fairness. Conor was going to come late, he had no food in him, so we made an early decision in the Silver Springs that Colin (Dunford) would come in and Kieran (Bennett) would go back wing back.”
Cork led throughout Sunday’s game and never relinquished their lead as they cruised to a five-point win over Waterford.
Cork coach John Meyler said that it was vital that the Rebels won the match as they now prepare for their Munster championship opener against Clare in May.
“It’s vital that we maintained our status in Division 1A for 2019, that’s the most important thing here today,” Meyler told the Irish Independent.
“It gives us impetus going into the Munster Championship in May for the first game against Clare. We upped our consistency today and we improved on the spread of scorers in the forwards, so it’s a good overall performance to finish the league.”
