Final venue is criticised

Final venue is criticised

2 April 2025

THE manager of Down’s National Hurling League Division 2 winning side has criticised the decision to not play the final at a major venue. 

The Ardsmen had already secured promotion to Division 1B before they were crowned champions with a 4-22 to 3-18 victory over Kildare on Saturday.

Normally, such success would lead to nothing other than jubilation and celebration, but Down boss Ronan Sheehan could not look past the decision to host the match in Inniskeen, Monaghan.

“Listen, we’ve been here a long time, we’ve been waiting for this, but my view of these things is always about the bigger picture for hurling,” Sheehan explained.

“There’s no reason why this game couldn’t have been played down at Pairc Uí Chaomh. Indeed, there’s no reason they couldn’t have had a 

double-header at Nowlan Park and put us and Kildare on before Waterford and Offaly.”

On the same weekend where the finals of all four football divisions were being played in the glory of Croke Park, Down and Kildare were forced to play on a pitch that did not even have 65-metre lines marked out.

While manager Sheehan was nothing short of bemused at the situation, he was still determined to show his respect for Inniskeen and the people involved there.

“Look, the pitch here is fantastic, they put a lot of effort into it. It’s a good field and all, but you saw the quality of the match there today; that should be in a far greater setting than here,” he said.

“That’s no criticism of Inniskeen, it’s been good to us before, but there’s Division 3 and Division 

Four football being played at Croke Park.”

Cavan’s Breffni Park was selected as the original venue, but Sheehan was set against that idea from the outset, citing a poor playing surface.

“They were actually going to take this game to Breffni Park and I refused. That’s not a criticism of Cavan, but the pitch is in awful shape for hurling.

“When that was the suggestion, I said ‘are they just going to put this game wherever they want?’ ” 

After Sheehan’s refusal to have the match played in Cavan, the eventual choice landed on Inniskeen — something the Down boss has attributed to a lack of respect. 

“Inniskeen is a good hurley field, and they’re decent people, but that’s not the point. The point is there should have been a bit more respect. This is a national final,” he stated.

“That’s what annoys me more than anything — the disrespect to the game. It’s more that the game of hurling deserves better.”

Kildare used the wind to their advantage in the first half and although they built upon their lead with two Jack Sheridan goals at the start of the second half, Down responded.

They began to fire off scores at will, netting through the ever-impressive Tom McGrattan (2), Marc Fisher and Tim Prenter, while Pearse Óg McCrickard and Eoghan Sands’ points placed one hand on the silverware.

Kildare threatened in the dying embers, but two saves from Stephen Keith were enough to secure victory and cue the Red and Black celebrations.