Defections ‘blow to Limerick hurling’

EX-LIMERICK hurling boss Dave Keane admitted last night GAA fans in the county were tired of making headlines for the wrong reasons.

Keane, who left the post now held by Padjoe Whelahan, in acrimonious circumstances last year, was reflecting on the latest controversy, which has resulted in six Limerick dual players declaring for the county’s footballers this season.

Admitted Keane: “I don’t believe it’s possible to be a dual GAA player anymore. It’s out of enthusiasm that players want to do both but the demands both mentally and physically have become too great.”

He added: “The real pity is that it’s happened the way it has. Why is it always Limerick making the headlines? I do not want to be critical of the hurling management, I might have gone along the same lines myself though I would have handled it differently. But why could this not have been sorted out behind the scenes?

“Instead we have controversy again, six players gone from the hurling panel, three of whom would be on my starting fifteen anyway. We love to see great dual players but times have changed radically, they have to cut their cloth to measure now.”

Keane admitted that the defections were a blow to the Limerick hurling panel, but said he was not surprised.

“There is a great bond between the Limerick football squad and Liam Kearns, built up over the past three or four years, while the hurling management has only been in place for a couple of months. Forced to make a choice, they were always going to choose football. A pity, because Limerick hurling needs every player they can get.”

Keane said the dual player status was also impacting on other members of both panels because they didn’t know whether the dual players would be returning, or taking the place of someone who’s done all the training.

“Dual players are trying to do too much and while they are gifted athletes they have to realise they’re not supermen.”

Asked for a commitment from the hurling management, Mark Keane, Stephen Lucey, Mark O’Riordan, Brian Begley, Mike O’Brien and Conor Fitzgerald have opted to concentrate on football this term.

None of those centrally involved could be tracked down for comment, though the County Board and the hurling selectors did issue separate terse statements.

Members of the Board’s management committee met with Limerick’s hurling selectors on a number of occasions over the last couple of weeks, with the latter insisting: “The position of the management of the Limerick Senior Hurling Team cannot change on this issue, as we need the full commitment and focus of our panel to prepare for the Championship in 2004”.

Whelahan met with his squad on Wednesday, after the six players declared their intentions to concentrate on football and, according to board chairman, Pat Fitzgerald, was promised full commitment. It is understood that Whelahan was given a standing ovation after he addressed the players.

Limerick will not finalise their panel for the NHL until early in February. They play Galway in a challenge on Saturday.

Football manager Liam Kearns said: “I want to take this on board. I won’t say I was taken by surprise, this has been going on for some time but we did our best to avoid any trouble.”