The sound of silence at Board meeting

THERE was a deafening silence at last night’s meeting of the Cork County Board regarding the decision taken at the GAA Congress to amend Rule 42.

Congress decided by more than a two thirds majority to allow rugby and soccer internationals to be staged at Croke Park during the re-development of Lansdowne Road.

However, no mention of the ground-breaking decision was made at last night’s meeting even though members did discuss other decisions taken at Congress, particularly those concerning the age limit of players entitled to participate in minor and u-21 competitions.

The Board had come under fire at county and national level for not allowing a vote on Rule 42 at its last meeting prior to Congress.

Nemo Rangers’ chairman Leonard Buckley and Killavullen delegate Pat O’Brien went publicly on the issue last week, claiming questions needed to be answered about the Cork Board’s executive decision at its last meeting not to allow a vote on the Croke Park issue.

Killavullen delegate O’Brien, who vowed to challenge the Board over their stance, stepped down from his position after a club meeting.

Not surprisingly the Cork minor football selectors have given a vote of confidence to the team which trounced Waterford last time out for tonight’s Munster qualifier against Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds (6.45 p.m.).

Limerick have made several changes from the side that failed 2-16 to 1-7 to Kerry in the previous round.

Ger Collins comes in for Darragh Woods; Kieran O’Rourke takes over from Ml. Boyce, Michael Curtain replaces Liam Barrett and Eoin Hogan is preferred to Martin Scannell.

Positional switches see James Carroll move from right half back to centre back with Patrick Mullins switched to left half back; in attack, Neil Mulvihill moves from centre forward to top of the left with Eoin Hogan now leading the attack.

The winners of tonight’s game will play Tipperary in one semi-final while Clare and Kerry clash in the other. Both games are fixed for June 29 at venues to be decided. The Munster final is down for decision on July 10.

Meanwhile Meath will be without Ray Magee for Sunday’s National Football Division Two league final against Monaghan as he gets married on Saturday.

Both Wexford and Armagh report no serious injury problems ahead of their Division One final, although Ronan Clarke is nursing a bruised leg which is responding well to treatment. Joe Kernan and Pat Roe will announce their teams after tonight’s training session.

Tony Griffin returns from Canada on Saturday to link up with his Clare team mates for Monday’s National Hurling League final against Kilkenny, but it remains to be seen if team manager Anthony Daly will start him. Expectation is that Daly will name the same 15 which defeated Wexford last Sunday.

Over in the Marble County, Kilkenny boss Brian Cody will have a full squad to choose from for the first time this season after Peter Barry and Derek Lyng declared themselves fit for the big game.

Both managers will delay naming their respective teams until at least Thursday night.

Former Dublin manager Mickey Whelan is to replace John O’Leary as a selector on the Irish International Rules team for this year’s trip to Australia.

O’Leary said that other commitments meant he would be unable to devote sufficient time to the venture.

When informed of the situation, Ireland manager Pete McGrath plumped for Whelan as his replacement.

Tipperary Central Council delegate Con Hogan is to chair the GAA’s newly-formed Central Disciplinary Committee, which will commence its duties within the next week, it was revealed yesterday.

The new committee was accepted by a vote at the recent Annual Congress which split the old Games Administration Committee into separate entities, one with a remit for fixtures, the other for discipline.

Current GAC chairman Tony O’Keeffe was offered the chair of either committee and opted to take the helm of the fixtures body.

CORK (MF v Limerick): Tomas O'Connor (Douglas); Jason O'Callaghan (Doneraile), Eoin Cotter (Douglas), Colin O'Brien (Nemo Rangers); Sean Kiely (Macroom), Anthony Fenton (St. Vincents), Mark O'Brien (Mallow); Fiachra Lynch (Valley Rovers), Alan Barry (Douglas); Colm O'Driscoll (Tadgh MacCarthaighs), Eric Hegarty (St. Michaels), David Goold (Macroom); Ricky Kenny (Nemo Rangers), David Scannell (Kiskeam), David Kearney (Nemo Rangers). Subs: Danny Murray (Bantry Blues), Ross O’Dwyer (St. Finbarrs), Joe Moran (Carrigaline), Colm O’Neill (Ballyclough), Shane Drummy (Bantry Blues), Daniel Molden (Glanmire), Martin O’Connor (Cill na Martra), Kevin Jer O’Sullivan (Adrigole), Cian Lowney (Eire Og).

LIMERICK (MF v Cork): Ger Ryan (Galbally); Shaun Browne (Newcastlewest), Ml Cahill (Mungret/St. Pauls), Oliver Nolan (Ahane); Ger Collins (Milford), James Carroll (Croom), Patrick Mullins (St. Pats); James Ryan (Galbally), Sean Hanlon (Castlemahon); Kieran O’Rourke (Bruree), Eoin Hogan (Kilmallock), Eoin Ryan (Adare); Ml Curtin (Mountcollins), David Dalton (Adare), Neil Mulvihill (Na Piarsaigh).

Subs: Thomas Enright (Fr Caseys), Liam Barrett (Kilmallock), Michael Boyce (Drom/Broadford), Patrick Guinane (Na Piarsaigh), Jason Murphy (Patrickswell), Jimmy B. Murphy (Ballylanders), Barry O'Doherty (St Patricks), Martin Scannell, Darragh Woods (Newcastlewest), James Hickey (Adare).