Paraic Fanning says he would have pushed for Walsh Park to host Waterford's home games in last year's Munster SHC if he had been manager at the time.

However, he doubts if he would have fought it to the same extent as Kildare who succeeded in getting their All-Ireland SFC qualifier game against Mayo moved from Croke Park to Newbridge.

The Deise will host Clare at Walsh Park in their 2019 Munster SHC opener on May 12 and reflecting on last year's controversy, Fanning told WLR FM at this week's Waterford launch of the Renault GAA World Games 2019:

“Speaking for myself, I would have wanted the games in Walsh Park, but there were reasons around that, too, to be fair… there were decisions made and people have changed their views on it.

“I’m a funny guy, I probably would have been a little more pushy, but I wasn’t involved last year. And then you see places like Thurles, a venue we’re used to playing in. You can see the logic.

“You can see the logic now, with people looking for tickets, it’s a decision you make early in the year. But after last year — and it’s nothing to do with Kildare, it’s just my own view — it’s about the structures of the championship, and fairness.

“And the fairness is that every team is entitled to two home games and two away games. We have two home games and that’s the fairness.”

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