Liam Kearns isn’t happy.
The Tipperary footballers have endured far from ideal preparation for their Munster Senior Football Championship semi-final against Cork at Páirc Uí Rinn on Saturday, June 10th.
Liam Kearns claims he will be without at least ten of his main players for the clash.
“Yeah We’re down about ten players I’d say really, too many to mention as they say,” claimed Kearns in an interview with Tipp FM.
The Tipperary manager will be without the services of Willie Connors, Kevin Fahey, Ian Fahey, Ciaran McDonald, Philip Austin and Jack Kennedy as a result of injuries.
Kearns will also be without two All-Star nominees in Peter Acheson, who has gone travelling for the year, and Evan Comerford.
It is Comerford’s absence, which will stretch until an All-Ireland semi-final date, should Tipperary make it that far, that has irked Kearns the most.
He revealed that the Tipperary camp have decided against appealing Comerford’s 12-week ban to the DRA due to the adverse affect a long-drawn-out appeal process would have on the goalkeeper, and his team-mates in the build-up to Saturday’s game.
Kearns was strong in his belief that Comerford’s ban should not affect the Tipperary county team, however, claiming that the ban should only affect his club Kilsheelan-Kilcash. The ban was given to Comerford, as a result of his misdemeanours in a club game.
“No we’re not, we appealed it and we’re accepting it now, where we’re at. To go to the DRA, we’d be putting Evan through a lot. It would also take away from the team and the game that’s coming up. My observations on that would be that it’s Evan’s first time getting sent off in any game at any level. He’s paid a huge price for it. In my view, when you’re sent off in a club match, it should affect the club scene and not the inter-county scene,” said Kearns.
The Kerry man feels it’s a rule that is outdated, and one that must be changed by the powers that be in the GAA.
“If you’ve been in the inter-county scene and got sent off with us (Tipp footballers), fair enough…I mean it’s draconian what’s happened to him really, his first sending off and he’s lost his whole inter-county scene as well…If it happened with us, it might be easier to swallow, but it’s a hammer blow to Tipperary football and it really is so disappointing.”
“It’s a huge blow and it doesn’t seem fair or right to me that Tipperary football and the Tipperary players should bear the brunt of this and in fairness, that’s what we are doing because we’ve lost an All-Star nominee goalkeeper, one of the best in the country,” said Kearns.
The Tipperary manager believes that Comerford will have his suspension overturned for his club, but that the Tipperary set-up won’t benefit. Comerford is reported to be considering a switch to the League Of Ireland, having formerly represented Ireland soccer teams, as a result of his ban.
Tipperary goalkeeper Evan Comerford may make League of Ireland switch https://t.co/pgqTPJQIXC pic.twitter.com/XUeOJ8xTlG
— Off The Ball Breakfast (@OffTheBallAM) June 7, 2017
“I’d say he’ll be back by the time his club have a serious match again…There’s something badly wrong for me there anyway, the authorities badly need to look at the rules again.”
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