O’Dwyer’s clear-the-air meeting with Portlaoise club

MICK O’DWYER has met with representatives of the Portlaoise club to resolve a number of key issues central to the recent turmoil over players’ availability for Laois football training.

O’Dwyer had actually resigned his position as Laois manager earlier this week, claiming it was because of the poor turnout of players for his first two training sessions last Thursday and Saturday.

Eight of O’Dwyer’s players are drawn from the county champions and that alone was a huge reduction of the 32 faces he expected to show up for the sessions late last week.

However, it is accepted practice in the county for inter-county players to train with their clubs as long as they are still involved in the club championships and Portlaoise have teams in both the hurling and football Leinster club championships.

O’Dwyer was none too pleased with that originally, but having met with Portlaoise chairman Niall Kavanagh and secretary Vinny Dowling on Thursday, an agreement has now been reached whereby the Portlaoise captain will periodically attend county training sessions.

Complicating the matter is the fact that Colm Parkinson is the Portlaoise captain. Not only has the forward not enjoyed the most cordial of friendships with the Kerryman, ‘Wooly’ has also indicated that he will leave for Australia if the club do not win the Leinster title.

With that in mind, Kevin Fitzpatrick has been appointed vice-captain, a move which seems to have placated O’Dwyer for now.

“Micko is very supportive of Portlaoise’s run in the championship,” said a club source: “The club captain will attend county training as long as we’re involved in Leinster.