Limerick hurlers

[dowling]

What is wrong with some people? There's me having an exchange of views on Limerick hurling, and without any aggro between posters, and then get dragged into a petty exchange because someone cant read my posts properly, takes points out of context and insults me on another thread. If you want a petty exchange about Stephen ONeill try someone else or pm duffle with what you know.
Or better still if you want to debate the Limerick situation feel free to contribute.

[Bing Crosby .]

I'm not that computer savvy so I wouldn't be able to do it myself ,  someone done it for G mc during the Cork strike . Is there any chance someone here who is computer savvy would set up one of those online petitions in support  of Justin Mc Carthy ?I'm sure there are plenty of people who would like to get a little message of support to him  .  I think it's a good idea anyway . Thanks .

[Bing Crosby .]

I'm not that computer savvy so I wouldn't be able to do it myself ,  someone done it for G mc during the Cork strike . Is there any chance someone here who is computer savvy would set up one of those online petitions in support  of Justin Mc Carthy ?I'm sure there are plenty of people who would like to get a little message of support to him  .  I think it's a good idea anyway . Thanks .

It was ten days ago when I made that post above .

Not one individual had the good manners to merely even acknowledge the post one way or another . 

My sincere thanks to all the honorable hurling folk on here .

Watch the flood of posts now reeling for a fight .

[DuffleKing]

Maybe noone else thought it was a good idea?

Certainly i didn't think it was worth commenting on...

[orangeman]

Sounds familiar ??







The Limerick hurling crisis is set to rumble on after it was agreed at Thursday night's County Board meeting in Ballyagran to hold another meeting of club delegates of the players affected on 12 December.


Manager Justin McCarthy has come under attack for his controversial axing of 12 players from last season's panel, and with nine more players withdrawing their services, McCarthy will have a hugely weakened panel with which to work from if the current impasse is not resolved.

While obviously unhappy with the handling of the omissions, the players have also declared their lack of support for the methods and style of McCarthy and his management team, citing a lack of intensity at training sessions.

However, according to a report in today's Irish Examiner, McCarthy and his selectors defended their approach, insisting: 'There was never a training session that was haphazard, or lackadaisical. Everyone was totally committed - there was no night when we didn't have a good session.'

Selector Brian Ryan recalled a weekend away in Killarney ahead of the All-Ireland semi-final where every player was asked if they had any problems.

He revealed: 'The last question every one of them was asked was - did he have any issues he wanted to bring up? Of the 29 players, only two said yes, and those were to do with travelling to Dublin on the night before the game against Tipperary. It was staggering then, months later, to hear they had all these problems.'


A detailed questions and answers session posed many questions of McCarthy and his team, before the Adare delegate proposed a motion of no confidence in the management team.

However, it was agreed that the club delegates of the players affected would reconvene on 12 December in Claughaun clubhouse to discuss the matter further, meaning there is no end in sight for this saga.

[Premier Emperor]

In my experience Limerick hurling supporters have awful delusions about themselves.
They are still going on about things like Ciaran Carey's point in 1996, even though a world of hurling has been played since.

Justin can drop and pick who he wants. the hurlers aren't there!

[Bing Crosby .]

In my experience Limerick hurling supporters have awful delusions about themselves.
They are still going on about things like Ciaran Carey's point in 1996, even though a world of hurling has been played since.

Justin can drop and pick who he wants. the hurlers aren't there!

Have you been reading my letters ?

[dowling]

So many similarities to the Cork dispute seem to be coming into play. How long will it be before someone says Justin didn't know what club he played for? Anyone any thoughts on gpa involvement here?

[DuffleKing]

So many similarities to the Cork dispute seem to be coming into play. How long will it be before someone says Justin didn't know what club he played for? Anyone any thoughts on gpa involvement here?

[dowling]

Well with this formal recognition surely the gpa would be trying to help resolve this impasse by telling the players to catch themselves on or alternatively telling them to hold firm and put out some stories about inadequate training. Like the Cork players did.

[INDIANA]

Justin needs to exit here. In my view both sides at fault but justin isn't blameless either on this one.

[youbetterbelieveit]

Match report from today's Examiner. Next up Limerick face UCC in Kilmallock this Sunday with the winners to face UL/LIT.

Limerick 0-18 Wexford 0-18
By Fintan O'Toole

Monday, January 18, 2010



OFF the field, the raging inferno that is the Limerick hurling crisis burns on, yet between the white lines Justin McCarthy is attempting to plough on with the preparation work for the 2010 season.



Saturday afternoon in Mallow was the first port of call with Wexford providing the opposition in the low-key setting of a challenge match.

McCarthy's decision to wield the axe to his panel last October and the subsequent deluge of withdrawals have decimated Limerick's squad and only two of last year's championship panel, Brian O'Sullivan and Paudie McNamara, started this match.

Thus McCarthy had assembled a team dominated by novices and he'll have been heartened by their battling qualities to grind out a draw in the finish as they pegged back Wexford with two late points to force a draw.

But the result came with a couple of caveats. Technically Wexford should have won with Stephen Banville having a perfectly good point waved wide by the umpires and Colm Bonnar was in an experimental mood. Only three of Saturday's Wexford side started when the counties met in the All-Ireland qualifiers last June, with established players Diarmuid Lyng and Keith Rossiter sprung from the bench during the second-half.

"I'm pleased we got a game there today and all the lads got a run-out," said McCarthy. "I was delighted with the support we got as well and the effort in particular. It was typical Limerick hurling today, which was very important, and they gave their all, they were together today for the first time. I was very pleased with the spirit shown to come back, it was very good."

Bonnar regarded the game as a useful workout, regardless of his opponent's travails over the winter.

"It was a good match for us. We're very much experimenting with a trial panel, so we're delighted to have got a game and started off."

Limerick's defence was largely solid with full-back Des Kenny and Kieran O'Rourke both impressing. Half-back Lorcan O'Dwyer, who operated last year on Mickey Ned O'Sullivan's county football panel, turned in a fine hour while wing-forward Cathal Mullane hit three lovely points. The star turn was wing-forward Tommy O'Brien, who showed a innate ability to notch points from play and frees.

O'Brien was one of six Limerick players to see action who featured for the county U21's last summer, with Nicky Quaid, son of former goalkeeping great Tommy, at midfield.

Adare goalkeeper Timmy Houlihan did not line out nor did former Kerry netminder Tadhg Flynn, while South Liberties involvement in Sunday's All-Ireland IHC semi-final robbed Limerick of other personnel options.

McCarthy's squad is predominantly a youthful one and he seemed encouraged by their spirit and feistiness.

But he'll be aware that the standards will be raised considerably in the weeks ahead.

Scorers for Limerick: Thomas O'Brien (0-7, 0-4f), Paudie McNamara (0-2f), C Mullane 0-3 each, B O'Sullivan, R McKeogh, C Allis, S O'Donnell, P Harty 0-1 each.

Scorers for Wexford: J Berry 0-8 (0-6f), D Lyng 0-3 (0-1 '65), D Nolan, J Gahan 0-2 each, T Mahon, H Kehoe, M Connors 0-1 each.

LIMERICK: B Hennessy (Kilmallock). D Lynch (Na Piarsaigh), D Kenny (Ballybrown), K O'Rourke (Bruree). A Brennan (Caherline), Paul McNamara (Na Piarsaigh), L O'Dwyer (Pallasgreen). D Moore (Monagea), N Quaid (Effin). Tommy O'Brien (Patrickswell), B O'Sullivan (Kilmallock), C Mullane (Kileedy). A O'Connell (Adare), Paudie McNamara (Murroe-Boher), R McKeogh (Kildimo).

Subs: C Allis (Croom) for O'Connell (half-time), D Madden (Bruff) for Moore (45), Tommy O'Brien (Bruree) for O'Sullivan (45), S O'Donnell (Kilmallock) for Quaid (55), P Harty (Patrickswell) for Paudie McNamara (57), B Quinn (Ballybrown) for Paul McNamara (60).

WEXFORD: M Fanning. D Kehoe, P Roche, E Doyle. B Hobbs, G Jacob, L Pender. T Mahon (0-1), W Doran. D Nolan (0-2), M O'Regan, H Kehoe (0-1). T Barron, S Banville, J Berry (0-8, 0-6f).

Subs: D Lyng (0-3, 0-1 '65) for H Kehoe, M Connors (0-1) for Barron, J Gahan (0-2) for Mahon (all half-time), K Rossiter for Roche, J Kehoe for O'Regan (both 51), Mahon for Banville (55).

Referee: John Sexton (Limerick).



Read more: http://www.examiner.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/mccarthy-praises-new-look-panel-109950.html#ixzz0cx8hSg89

[Bing Crosby .]

Limerick hurlers let rip
By Diarmuid O'Flynn

Tuesday, January 19, 2010



THE Limerick hurling crisis took a sharp twist last night when the 24 disaffected players issued a hard-hitting statement, attacking both Justin McCarthy, their former manager, and their own county board.



The trouble began last October, when manager McCarthy cut 12 players from the panel, several of those among the most high-profile and best-performing members of the 2009 league and championship team, most notably defender Stephen Lucey and forward Niall Moran, along with recent All-Star Andrew O'Shaughnessy, dual star Mark O'Riordan, and ever-present stalwarts Mike O'Brien and Donie Ryan.

Team captain and All-Star nominee Mark Foley was also omitted, but he at least got the courtesy of a phone call informing him of that decision – all the others learned of their fate through the media, which led to a spate of withdrawals by a host of other top names, former captain Damien Reale the first to go. Damien was later joined by such influential stars as Brian Geary, Seamus Hickey, Donal O'Grady, James O'Brien, Gavin O'Mahony and goalkeeper Brian Murray, which left McCarthy with only six of last year's panel.

At the time of the first cut, Justin did a major interview with a local reporter in which he suggested that indiscipline was a major problem within the panel: "There will always be people who will put you on the wrong track, always guys that will try and break the system and try things on," he stated. "We weren't fooled by people who may have stepped out of line in the past year. It didn't have a huge effect but going forward I will not tolerate that – we have to have a better code of discipline, players have to be honest to themselves, their fellow players and the management..."

Since then, Justin has further suggested that the players were actually plotting against him even before the season ended, that they are now refusing to take phone calls from the management. with this statement, the players have firmly rebutted all those accusations, and made a few of their own, not least against their own county board.

The players statement reads:

We strongly believe that it is in the best interests of Limerick GAA to address an orchestrated series of allegations made by Justin McCarthy and several other prominent figures in the ongoing dispute regarding the 2010 Limerick Senior Hurling panel.

Up to this juncture, we have maintained a dignified silence on this recent controversy. We felt that the procedures relating to the appointment and subsequent vote of confidence in Justin McCarthy must be respected. In this instance, the majority of club delegates supported the motion of "confidence" in the current management set up for the forthcoming season.

We have avoided the need to convene and make a "group statement" up to now as we did not want to compromise in any way the best interests of Limerick hurling and each individual concerned. At this point however, we feel that the public are entitled to get clarity on a number of issues.

The points raised are as a result of the first and only meeting between players who withdrew from the 2010 panel, the majority of players who were dropped from the panel, and the retired players.

1. Origins of this situation

We feel that Justin McCarthy and his selectors are perfectly entitled to select the 30 or so players they chose for the 2010 Limerick Senior hurling panel, and are perfectly entitled to omit any players as they see fit, as is there prerogative. However, the inference that Mr McCarthy made on a newspaper interview on 30th October, 2009 that a number of players were dropped due to a lack of discipline and commitment sparked an extremely negative response from the majority of the 2009 panel. At no time over the course of approximately 100 training sessions or gatherings did Mr McCarthy make any reference to a "lack of discipline or commitment". Indeed on several occasions, he made the point that this Limerick team was the "most committed he'd ever worked with and were a pleasure to train". As a result of his failure to clarify instances where discipline was breached or a lack of commitment was evident, each player made a voluntary decision regarding their availability for the 2010 panel under the current management.

2. Players refused to meet management

The 2009 panel have met the County Board on three occasions in a bid to resolve this matter.

On the first occasion, at a meeting in the South Court Hotel in mid November 2009, players' representatives were asked to consider meeting the 2010 management with a view to discussing the main issues and concerns of panel members. While they were receptive to arranging a meeting, the players felt that it would achieve little, in keeping with previous meetings held with management throughout the year. The County Board officials were of a similar opinion, but offered to relay the main points of the meeting to management. The players' representatives subsequently received no feedback from the County Board and the matter was let lie.

It was only when there were player withdrawals did the management seek a meeting with the players who withdrew from the panel.

At this point most players were after exploring every avenue available to them in an effort to resolve the issues, and felt a meeting at this stage would be futile.

3. A small group of players are behind this

This is the most damning of all accusations made. A misconception originating from both the County Board and the senior hurling management has gathered momentum that a small number of players are orchestrating an attempt to remove the current Limerick Senior Hurling management and influence the decisions of younger panel members in particular. It is important to stress that at no point was any individual player unduly influenced or forced into making a decision by any other player regarding his future involvement with the 2010 Limerick hurling squad. This decision is, and has been at all times, left up the individual as no player should stand in the way of the career of another player. We would urge the individuals responsible for these false claims to produce factual evidence substantiating same. Otherwise, they should refrain from spreading malicious lies.

One local journalist felt the need to personalise this in what can only be described as a vicious attack on the good name and integrity of a highly respected member of the 2009 hurling panel. This reporter, who does not have the courage of his conviction to name the individual player concerned, would be well advised to reflect on his contribution to Limerick GAA, either in a playing or administrative capacity, before passing judgment on the player concerned.

It must be stressed that players have no problem accepting criticism for on field performances, but it must be stressed that personal or professional criticism of players in the media has no place in the GAA.

4. Communication was not an issue

Justin McCarthy remarked that "It's not about communication. I think that was a good excuse, initially, but I think as far back as last August some of the players were trying to get rid of us, and didn't want us on board, because they had their own agenda, really and truly."

His failure, even still, to extend common courtesy to the dropped players by informing them (either by phone or letter) that they would not be required for the forthcoming season was only one of a series of communication failures on his part over the course of the year.

Players and management were at odds at many points throughout the year. This came to a head before the Qualifier game against Wexford in July of this year when players took the unprecedented step of organising our own game plan in the absence of any acceptance from management that our performances to that point were sub standard.

His further assertion that "players were trying to get rid of us" is without any basis. Our County Board will accept that procedures are in place that all senior inter county panels should have players representatives in place to discuss the issues pertaining to panel members. If players' attempts to discuss issues with management amounts to having "their own agenda", then this procedure has failed.

5. County Board Mis-management

This situation has been poorly handled by the County Board on a number of fronts:

• At several points over the course of the 2009 season, they were made aware by players that preparations were not up to the required standards and that team morale was quite poor. They did not feel the need to discuss this at the delegates meeting immediately after the All Ireland semi final defeat to Tipperary, preferring to make reference to Justin McCarthy's continuation of his two year tenure as Limerick senior hurling manager.

THESE concerns were never relayed to club delegates who were entitled to be made aware of this in the best interests of Limerick GAA. Also, we feel the county board should have insisted that either players representatives be asked to attend the Ballyagran meeting, or else all club delegates (not just those of the players) attend the subsequent meeting in Claughaun, in the interests of fairness and impartiality.

There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that many junior and intermediate clubs had been actively canvassed by members of the management and the county board to vote in favour of Justin McCarthy's retention as Limerick senior hurling manager for 2010. In many cases, false information and rumours were initiated to reflect poorly on certain members of the 2009 panel, and thereby influence the vote.

• One officer made reference in a meeting with players and their delegates that players were responsible for the departure of the last six managers. He, and other county board officers, should maturely recollect this is certainly not the case and should consider the county board's part in the repeated turnover of managers in Limerick.

Another delegate made reference to "Player Power" being at the core of the current impasse. We strongly refute this claim and wish to state that we respect the decision of the delegates and have no desire to become involved in GAA boardroom politics.

There are huge sacrifices and commitments involved in modern day inter-county hurling, and the players have made an individual decision to make themselves unavailable for 2010 because we feel there is no chance of improvement or success under the present management.

6. Management's role in influencing players decisions

"We've tried to discuss things with them, and they won't answer our calls, or come face to face and discuss anything." Justin McCarthy, RTÉ Radio January 13, 2010.

Many players received intimidating phone calls from members of the management and backroom staff putting them under pressure to join the 2010 Limerick Senior Hurling panel. Meetings took place with individual players in a bid to resolve this matter. We appreciate the efforts made by John Tuohy to discuss the situation in an open-minded manner.

We would like to publicly acknowledge the massive public support we have received to date from Limerick Gaels, both near and far. It is unfortunate that events have come to this but the genuine Limerick GAA supporter deserves to be made aware of the full facts surrounding this controversy.

We have full respect for the manner in which the GAA conducts its business. We are acutely aware of the huge honour associated with representing our county and to that end, we have always endeavoured to prepare as diligently as possible, even if results have not always reflected this.

We wish the 2010 panel all the best in their preparation for the forthcoming season and hope that no stone is left unturned to ensure that Limerick are successful. However, we reiterate that we will not play any active part in the 2010 Limerick senior hurling panel while the present management is in place. Is Sinne le meas,

David Bulfin, Tom Condon, Damien Cosgrave, Eoin Foley, Mark Foley, Brian Geary, Seamus Hickey, Stephen Lucey, Wayne McNamara, Denis Moloney, Niall Moran, Ollie Moran, Brian Murray, James O'Brien, Mike O'Brien, Donal O Grady, Gavin O Mahoney, Mark O'Riordan, Andrew O'Shaughnessy, Damien Reale, Donie Ryan, James Ryan, Donncha Sheehan, Stephen Walsh.

[dowling]

I don't think there's any reason to be surprised at this development. I would guess this was always going to come and has probably more to do with Limerick's first game without these players than McCarthy's interview. That's not to say some individuals weren't miffed by his comments.
But this dispute is now quite definitely going onto the same ground as the Cork one and I would be very surprised if the Limerick players weren't being advised by someone from Cork and the GPA. Even the tone and content of this statement mirrors utterences of the Cork strikers. The only thing missing is a shadowy figure in the background who's really responsible for all this. Like Frank Murphy perhaps?

[Silky]

They are upping the ante now! This will only end in tears all round and Limerick will still be as far away as ever from an All Ireland.