County Board strongly denies many of hurlers’ claims

THE Executive Committee of Cork County Board last night launched a strongly worded rebuttal of the numerous claims which forced the county’s hurling panel to withdraw their services on Friday.

The Committee accounted for each of the concerns made by the players and defended their actions in a detailed document which was issued to delegates at a meeting in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

One of the most contentious topics had been the eight-hour bus trip endured on the way to a game against Derry. The Board said the choice of transport was due to an increase in airfares (at €13,500, it was twice what it had cost two years previously). Initially, departure was set for 1pm on Friday, but following a compensation claim from players of 100, this was put back to 5pm. Travelling by luxury coach, the team stopped for a meal in Tullamore, then proceeded to Monaghan, where they stayed overnight in a four-star hotel. However, because the route given hadn’t been followed, they didn’t arrive until 12.05am.

In the course of the game, Cork player Niall McCarthy suffered a facial injury, which was stitched by the Derry doctor, with a Cork selector in attendance, as the Cork doctor having been unable to travel. During the trip back to Cork blood continued to seep from the wound and the player was advised that he should be taken to the Regional Hospital on arrival in Cork. According to the executive, the player insisted on going home and seeing his own doctor the following morning.

On the remark that was reportedly made to one of the Cork players after the player had returned from the GPA EGM in Portlaoise, to ‘take a good look at the pitch as he wouldn’t be seeing it again from that level’, the selector claimed this remark was banter.

The GPA took up much of the executive’s written response last night. It was claimed that on the evening the first announcement was made regarding the trip to Derry the selectors were locked out of the dressing-room after the training session while one of the players was distributing GPA membership application forms inside.

It was also claimed senior hurling coach Bertie Óg Murphy had accommodated a request that training be cancelled on the day of the EGM, and that he had been assured in a letter by the GPA Executive that nothing would be done at that meeting that would affect his championship preparation.

Mr Murphy, according to the document, was then shocked to learn that a decision had been taken at that meeting that some form of protest would take place at the NHL final. The team management tried to dissuade players from going ahead with that protest, feeling it would distract from the players focus, but they failed. Similar efforts were taking place within the Kilkenny camp, and these were more successful. On the day, Cork started badly but recovered, failed ultimately by just a couple of points, and the team management felt the protest was partially responsible for that.

Management went on to deny claims that a concerted effort was made to threaten players from joining the GPA, or that a player was dropped from the panel because of his high-profile involvement with the players’ independent body.

On the gym question, the hurling selectors stated they had no knowledge whatsoever of any arrangement involving gym facilities at Silversprings Hotel. The senior footballers did have a number of collective sessions there in 1999 and at the start of 2000, and the team had meals in the hotel, authorised and paid for. No further request, it was stated, were received from that time. The Executive further claimed early in the year, after the indoor facilities of Na Piarsaigh club were hired, the players expressed satisfaction with the facilities.

Reading through the list, it would appear the County Board have come out fighting, rejecting all the players’ claims. However, the division that this row has generated within the county was soon reflected on the floor.

Delegate Bob Honohan of Bishopstown rejected several of the Executive claims, criticising the decision not to fly to Derry on the basis of cost while also questioning the use of gyms. But he expressed the hope a resolution would soon be found.