Whelahan’s job safe for now

THE chairman of Limerick County Board Denis Holmes said last night that there was no immediate threat to Padjoe Whelahan’s role as manager of the county senior side.

However he warned that: “the controversial dual player issue is sure to come under discussion,” when the Board meet next in the wake of the side’s losses in the opening two games of the Allianz NHL.

Whelahan has consistently refused to include dual players such as Conor Fitzgerald, Stephen Lucey, Mike O’Brien and Brian Begley in his squad. The four have concentrated their efforts on football for the past 12 months following an ultimatum from Whelahan for the players to chose either code.

Lucey is recovering from a shoulder operation and only resumed training with the football panel last week and will be available for the upcoming championship.

Limerick slumped to their second straight defeat in Division 1B on Sunday with a six-point loss to Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds.

In the aftermath, Whelahan admitted things “can’t get much lower” for his team.

He added that: “Things are very low at the moment. It can’t get much lower than we’re going now. And I’m getting older every week coming down to Limerick. That makes it worse again.”

The players held a meeting in the aftermath of the loss, while Whelahan and his management team of Joe McKenna and Declan Nash discussed the situation last night.

This is the fourth successive year that rumours of discord in Limerick have made headlines.

Since Eamon Cregan resigned and was then reinstated three years ago, Limerick hurling has become the most poisoned management chalice in the country.

His successor Dave Keane - and selectors John Meskell and Dave Punch, who coached the county to three consecutive U21 titles were voted out by a three-quarters majority after a year in the role.

Whelahan, who has one of the most impressive records in club hurling with Birr was then appointed.

Last year, in his debut season, Limerick also lost their opening two NHL games, again, co-incidentally, to Cork and Tipperary yet they still went on to qualify for the top tier in the second group stage. In the championship, Limerick lost twice to those same counties in games they could have won.

TJ Ryan, despite suggestions to the contrary, is still very much on board and is undertaking a four-week personal training programme with Dave Mahedy, the Limerick trainer.

However, players are understood to be concerned at the lack of floodlit facilities for hurling training - a cause of subsequent lack of sharpness in games - yet there is no suggestion of player rebellion on the matter.

Ignored by many in the current analysis is the fact that Limerick were missing six front-line players on Sunday, with three more yellow-carded.

In addition, two of their best forwards, Niall Moran and Andrew O’Shaughnessy have yet to click.

Limerick still have to meet Down and Antrim at home in the NHL; win those and the battle away to Wexford in between, and they will again qualify for the top group in the second series.