Keating: Limerick football in decline

LIMERICK football is in decline. That’s the view of newly appointed Tipperary hurling manager Babs Keating, expressed with typical bluntness yesterday, at the formal launch of the Allianz National League competitions in Dublin attended by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and GAA leaders.

Keating made the comment in a short debate on the issue of dual players, when he agreed with Cork manager John Allen that, outside of the main contenders, Limerick could be one of the teams to watch in hurling this season.

"JP (McManus) doesn't throw his money ... I think there'll be no stone left unturned this year, I promise you,'' said Keating.

"I think football is on a downer in Limerick. The total commitment by those guys (dual players) is to hurling this year. They have shown that in the last few weeks and I know that will be the case with Stephen Lucey. Limerick are going to be hard to beat early on, but as to whether they have enough forwards to sustain it would worry me if I was a Limerick supporter!''

Not surprisingly, given that he played both games himself, the flamboyant Keating said he didn't believe that players should have to make a choice between the two games.

"There should be more accommodation between managements. If players are good for both teams, they should be catered for. But they shouldn't be expected to train five nights a week.''

John Allen, himself a dual Munster championship winner at senior level, differed, expressing the view that training had "gone so professional" that it ruled out dual involvement.

"We would have more than a handful of players who would be capable of playing inter-county football, but I think it would upset training totally. Given the amount of games and with secondary competitions I think it would be impossible to serve both masters.''

Meanwhile, Tyrone manager Mickey Harte made it clear that the All-Ireland champions will again approach the League very seriously.

"There aren't a lot of League titles in Tyrone and when you are in position to challenge for them, you ought to be doing that. At the present time I feel that Tyrone are in a position to challenge for major honours and this is the second most important competition in the country.

"The guidelines are there, the people who dedicate themselves to a good League campaign can expect to be around at the serious time of the championship. Recent history says that and why should we doubt it?''

Dublin manager Paul Caffrey, who feels that Cork are "close to getting it right," agrees.

"If you look at Tyrone, they have won two of the last four titles, Kerry one and Armagh one. It tells its own story. They are the top three teams and have been for the last few years. It's in everybody's interest to get into a League semi-final or final and win it.

"Our aim is to get the players up to a pitch in terms of consistency of performances. That's something Dublin will be striving for.''

John Allen wasn't prepared to entertain talk of Cork "only being interested in three-in-a-row," saying that his concern was how they would get on against Clare in the first round of the Munster championship.

The new League format which guarantees only five games and re-introduces quarter-finals didn't find favour with him. The former system, which provided for five preliminary rounds and three 'competitive' games in the second phase, made more sense.

Keating, meanwhile, has concerns of a more serious nature, primarily a shortage of available young talent and a dearth of hurlers from the western division which in his previous time as manager had supplied the like of Nickey English, Pat Fox, Declan Ryan and John Kennedy. That was a worry for the County Board and the GAA in Tipperary, he said.

The "one plus" was that the team they will put out in the championship will include six or seven All-Ireland medal holders.

"The disadvantage I would say and this is a source of concern to all of us in Tipperary is that the squad we will have this year will have only two Under-21 players. And, I am not sure the two will make it. It's a bit worrying that we don't have anybody from the age of 18 to 21 apart from those two players emerging good enough for a county panel. We didn't win an All-Ireland minor title in 10 years and that's a worry.

"There's an awful lot of work to be done in bringing the hurling back.

He pointed out that nine of their players will be involved in the Fitzgibbon Cup and, based on his commitment to the colleges, he will co-operate in any way he can. To do otherwise would be "grossly unfair," he stated.

*There is absolutely no possibility of Peter Canavan making a comeback for Tyrone in the championship, according to Mickey Harte.

"The man has decided to retire at a great place in his career and why would anybody take that from him? Maybe I know more about the man than a whole lot of others ... and he won't be back!''