Teams say Munster final postponement a 'massive step backwards'

Cork and Waterford were scheduled to meet on Saturday afternoon

Cork and Waterford's players have said they feel "completely let down" by Munster Camogie's decision to postpone Saturday's senior final amid an ongoing row over skorts.

The game, which was due to be staged in Tipperary, was postponed by Munster Camogie on Friday after both sets of players confirmed their intention to wear shorts in protest to the sport's rules dictating the players must wear skorts.

"As a united group of players, we want to express our bitter disappointment that today's Munster Senior Camogie Final has been postponed," Cork and Waterford said in a joint-statement released through the Gaelic Players Association.

"It shows scant regard for the preparation of players both physically and mentally to be ready for a provincial showpiece, to make this decision just 16 hours before the scheduled throw-in."

The statement added that "anyone with an understanding of what it takes to compete in elite sport knows that this could never be in the best interests of players".

"We feel completely let down.

"Both panels had meticulously planned to peak for today. Training schedules and workload will now have to be readjusted, while not even knowing when the game will take place.

"There was an opportunity to take a step forward from the recent controversy. Instead, a provincial final has been postponed because we took control of what we would wear. To us, that feels like a massive step backwards."

Last weekend the Kilkenny and Dublin squads were forced to change into skorts before their Leinster Championship semi-final with both sides told the game would be abandoned after they originally took to the field wearing shorts.

Dublin captain Aisling Maher called it a "career low" and said she was "sick of being forced to wear a skort that is uncomfortable and unfit for purpose".

Following the incident, the Camogie Association called a Special Congress for 22 May to vote on the issue, which if passed would give players the option to wear shorts from 24 May.

Camogie Association president Brian Molloy said on Thursday: "Our goal is to deliver, as quickly as possible, a best-in-class playing uniform designed for female players and allowing for individual choice."

The sport is governed by the Camogie Association of Ireland which, along with the Ladies Gaelic Football Association is set to be formally integrated into the Gaelic Athletic Association in 2027.

The rule on skorts was previously debated at the Camogie Association's Annual Congress in 2024, although a proposed change did not pass a vote.

A new date for the Munster camogie final has yet to be confirmed.