From bad to worse

WHITHER Cork hurling? Grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented though it might be, yesterday's "withdrawal of service" by the 30 strong senior panel can only escalate, not resolve the festering conflict between the panel, selectors and County Board executive.

Clearly, in taking the unprecedented move to break off negotiations and announce a GAA players strike, the Cork hurlers believe they have exhausted all available options with the executive of the Board. From their perspective, they were tired of "window dressing."

"It is something we don't want," said Allstar forward Joe Deane. "It is probably the hardest decision I have had to make in my life. I think that people don't realise how hard this has been for the players. We thrashed things out at a four hour meeting on Thursday night and felt that we had no other option."

However, the ramifications of their decision will be felt for years to come. It is too dramatic to suggest that unless an unforseen resolution emerges in the coming weeks, an entire generation of hurlers will be lost to Cork?

It has been pointed out that the Cork hurlers cannot be the only group of inter county players in the country with inadequate facilities and arrangements, so why the radical step of strike action?

The players say they haven't contacted other counties for a checklist of facilities and conditions. "We're not worried about other counties," said Alan Browne. "We want to show leadership on this issue."

However, as goalkeeper Donal Og Cusack pointed out, their concerns have gone unheeded for years. And, despite the protestations to the contrary, there are acrimonious relationships between players and selectors which have exacerbate the problem.

The players believe that they have sufficient support amongst their playing colleagues in the county to ensure that no one will step into their shoes, so to speak, come the opening round of the Allianz National League in February. There is also a strong sense among the senior panel that they have the Cork public very much on their side in the dispute. On the basis that the players are the only ones stepping up to the mic, they are winning the public relations war hands down.

So where's the resolution? Time may heal wounds, but will it be given the opportunity? There is every chance that the Board executive will have their say either after Tuesday night's regular Board meeting or at the annual Cork convention at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday. The possibility of the remaining selectors stepping down cannot be ruled out, of course, but with the exception of Frank Murphy's alleged "undue influence" as a selector, the players still insist their main beef is not with the ex coach or selectors.

Clearly, the county secretary's role as a selector is more problematic for the players that his renowned administrative talents. An indication of the tension which existed at the two meetings between the executive and the players came from Donal Og Cusack yesterday who revealed that Mr Murphy had said he "would not be pushed out" by anyone. He had not specified whether he was referring to his selectorial role.

Said Cusack: "We are not taking issue with the selectors, we are taking issue with the County Board. It's the job of the County Board to deal with the selectors. It is not our job. We felt that a member of the executive on the selection panel was exerting undue influence over the rest of the selectors. We also thought that there was a conflict of interest. One of the selectors was also a member of the seven man committee who chose the selectors. We made that point to the County Board."

The deep sense of player frustration was manifestly evident yesterday. "I did not enjoy going training this year, for the first time since I have been involved with Cork," revealed Deane.

"It was actually a chore and I think that view is representative of 95 percent of the panel. Without doubt it contributed to the poor showing in 2002. Our performance against Galway was absolutely abysmal, but fellows were saying to themselves it was to be expected because there was no morale."

Said Diarmuid O'Sullivan: "I hated going hurling training, it was a joke, it was a farce. At Cork football training, you knew who was in charge, you knew what was happening, the guidelines were set from day one.

"To say I hated training is a strong term but I was being treated like a school kid. Basically morale was so low."

The players stressed that their decision had not been driven by pay for play or the Gaelic Players Association. This was very much a decision of the Cork hurling squad.

Added Blackrock's Alan Browne: "I am seen as one of the most conservative players, but the reply (to our demands) we received from the County Board was very disappointing.

"I believed the whole time that it would be sorted out and every one of us was hoping that it would not come to this. In relation to gear, to tickets, to the gym, medical, food, travel, there is no argument. We wanted things taken out of the team management's hands and dealt with by the County Board, so the selectors can deal with the hurling issues on the field."

Sean Og O hAilpin, who has battled back from a career threatening knee injury said he was baffled by the Board executive's intransigence. "As a player we put in a lot of time, sacrifices and at the end of the day it would be no harm to be respected for the efforts you put in.

"The County board have come back with this answer. It is just basically absymal. I want to get back playing as soon as possible, but if it means withdrawing services to resolve the issue, we have too. Maybe a lot of people have not played the game and they do not realise the needs of sports people."

Asked what could bring about a positive development in the conflict, Deane stated: "We want a reasonable response to what we have outlined, what we think are reasonable requests.

"We sent a letter to the County Board last week in which we said we were prepared to talk again, but if those conditions were not adhered to, we considered the process to be over.

"Two of the conditions were met. We wanted the County Board to move substansially from their inital response. They did not say that, they said that they would clarify matters. We see it as being over."

Unfortunately, it is only starting.