Pat Ryan: Cork must ensure Munster final tickets are value for money

Cork manager Pat Ryan says that the Rebels must ensure that fans travelling to next Saturday’s Munster SHC final get value for money.

Earlier this week, the Munster Council confirmed a ticket increase of €5 for the clash between Limerick and Cork at TUS Gaelic Grounds on June 7 (6pm).

Stand tickets for now priced at €50 – in contrast to €30 for the provincial football final between Kerry and Clare – while terrace tickets are €40. Student and OAP tickets are €45 for the stand and €35 for the terrace while children’s tickets are €10.

It’s the second successive year that there has been a price hike and, while accepting that it can be tough for fans who travel to games, Ryan is aware of the nature of supply and demand.

The key objective for him is that Cork give a performance that lives up to the price, unlike the 16-point defeat to the Shannonsiders in the round-robin section of the championship.

“I suppose it is [tough on fans],” he says, “things are expensive. It is, without a shadow of a doubt. 

But what I'd say is that it's definitely expensive if we give the kind of performance to Cork fans that we gave the last day.

“If we give a performance like we were able to play sometimes last year against Limerick, it'll be well worth it. If we perform the exact same way as the last day above in Limerick, there wasn't much value for money for people who went up. Our job is to make sure that there's value for money for fans going. I don't think any Limerick person will be complaining about it if they put in the performance they did the last day.

“But these are the times we're in. I think that's the same with all ticket prices – if the tickets are hard to come by, the prices go up. If the tickets aren't, they'll be down and that's the same whether it's hurling, football, concerts or whatever it is.

DIFFICULT

“It is difficult for people, I'd especially think that there should be a different terrace price. That's probably a bit of a cost but I don't set those things.

“We just look to make sure that we can represent people as well as we can.”

Ger Millerick, who has a broken finger, is Cork’s only confirmed absentee and Ryan is sympathetic, given how unlucky the Fr O’Neills man has been.

“He was playing great at the start of the league as well and then got injured and kind of came out of it,” he said.

“In fairness, Seánie [O’Donoghue] had been injured after the Wexford game and came back in and the competition for places is tight. Unfortunately that's what happens with injuries, they move you down the pecking order a small bit but he was great the other day and we have great confidence in Ger any time we need him to play.

He's a great fella for our panel, great guy, great trainer, but it's just very disappointing because he's worked really, really hard. 

"He worked hard in the gym over the last kind of 18 months.

“He had a bit of an issue with his back that came from a legacy kind of injury with Fr O'Neill's and stuff, but he really worked hard over the last 18 months to get himself right and he's been really, really good.

“This is just a bit of an unfortunate one but that's the way it goes.”