The Allianz HL Division 1A fixture between Waterford and Cork saw The Déise claim their first win of the campaign. The final score was 1-20 to 1-15 as Waterford were helped by a Séamus Harnedy red card just before half-time.
However, his knee-drop was not the only talking point. Viewers were left bewildered by the fact over €80m and two years later, the pitch was in a fairly abysmal state.
Pairc Uí Chaoimh after turning into a sand dune
— Dean Kearns (@deankearns12) February 25, 2018
Did they let a herd of cattle into Pairc Ui Chaoimh Orr ??
— markfanning (@marky_28) February 25, 2018
Over €85 million spent on the new Páirc Ui Chaoimh. Surely they could’ve spared a few grand for the playing surface? #gaabeo
— Johnny Grogan (@Johnny_Grogan) February 25, 2018
Waterford warming up at a sandy Pairc Ui Chaoimh pic.twitter.com/2Yv0WoPkt4
— Tomás McCarthy (@tomasmcc) February 25, 2018
As part of the redevelopment, the new home of Cork GAA now has a capacity of 45000 people and is advertised as capable of hosting concerts and conferences. However, based on the evidence of today's performance the field is not yet equipped to host back-to-back games.
Earlier in the day, Cavan overcame Cork in the football on a scoreline of 0-14 to 0-11.
Cork GAA do have time to carry out some work on the playing surface as their footballers will not play there until the 17th March when they play Clare.
