Waterford's request to have the Munster hurling final moved to Thurles has been refused.

Na Deise were so keen not to return to Pairc Ui Chaoimh - the scene of last year's humbling at the hands of Tipp - that they were prepared to effectively hand the Premier County home advantage for the July 15th showdown.

But Munster Council has ruled against Waterford County Board's request to have the game moved, confirming in a statement:

"It is normal practice that a neutral venue would be decided upon in the event that no agreement was in place between the competing counties.

"In the case of a possible Tipperary v Waterford Munster SHC Final, as no agreement was in place between Tipperary and Waterford ahead of that June 7 CCC meeting, Pairc Ui Chaoimh was agreed as the proposed venue, a decision made with the consent and knowledge of all CCC delegates of the Munster counties.

"Once a fixture decision has been made by the Munster CCC, any subsequent change requires a two-thirds majority.

"As a result of correspondence received this afternoon [Monday] from Waterford County Board requesting a change to the original venue for the Munster Senior Hurling Final fixture, a specially-convened meeting of the Munster CCC was held tonight and reaffirmed the decision made on June 7 on a vote of 8 to 2."