GAA dispute - Battle over, war goes on?

IT was inevitable that the increasingly bitter dispute between the Cork County GAA Board and the country’s representative hurlers would move towards a resolution at some point but it is a pity that it took so very long.

But, even at this stage, the real question must be — is this the end of the affair? Will the players, their supporters and the clubs be satisfied with a change in team management or will it take a complete purge of the county’s GAA hierarchy to put the real issues to bed?

Some protagonists may see Gerald McCarthy’s resignation as a victory but if it is such it is greatly diminished by the statement from him that he reached his decision because of threats of violence made against his family. This is utterly unacceptable and disproportionate in what is, after all, an amateur sport.

It is probably be foolish to imagine that one man falling on his sword will put an end to the disharmony that has plagued GAA in the county for some time. In reality it might be more prudent to characterise this as the end of gruelling battle in a war that is far from over.

A war that has just added Gerald McCarthy to its long casualty list.