'Unjust and indefensible': Clare chairman Kieran Keating describes Munster SFC seeding

Clare chairman Kieran Keating has described as “unjust” and “indefensible” Munster GAA’s decision to seed next year’s senior football championship.

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.”

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