Comer: Poor planning is costing finalists
DAMIEN Comer blames ‘poor fixture planning’ on Corofin duo Kieran Molloy and Liam Silke missing this afternoon’s Electric Ireland Sigerson Cup final. Galway star Comer is hoping to become the first NUI Galway captain to lift the Sigerson Cup since 2003 when they meet UCD in Santry at 3.30pm today, but the university will have to do without Molloy, who will be playing for Corofin in the All-Ireland club SFC semifinal against Moorefield in Tullamore along with UCD’s Silke. ‘I spoke to Kieran the other day about it. He wanted to play both games. If one was even on the Saturday and one was on the Sunday, he might have the opportunity to do that,’ said Comer. ‘It is disappointing that there is no chance for the lads to even go from one game to the other, so they can cheer the group on. It does seem like bad planning.’ The unfortunate compromise highiights yet again the scheduling of the third-level competitions and their place in the GAA calendar. ‘I would like to see them being played in January, leading into the National League,’ added Comer. ‘I don’t think November would be a runner because that is leading into December exams. I know some third level institutions have their exams in January, but if they could move them to December, which I don’t think it will happen, it will free January up. But there is no easy solution to this.’ Comer isn’t the only player from high-flying Galway on Maurice Sheridan’s side. It also includes Peter Cooke and Seán Kelly, who have both played a part in the Tribesmen’s promising start to life back in the Allianz League Division 1 side. They will be up against Mayo’s Stephen Coen who is UCD captain. ‘Galway football is on a high at the moment,’ Coen explained. ‘We know that and NUIG will be trying to feed into that. I know a lot of the Galway and Mayo lads on their team very well, and know what they are capable of.’