Postal strike stalls GPA plans for ballot

THE GPA’S nationwide ballot of inter-county players regarding a proposed strike over the grants issue row has been hit by another setback.

The ballot was due to close last night but has been extended by a week to November 7 at 5.30pm. GPA chiefs said that this extension is because members resident in Northern Ireland experienced delays in receiving their ballot papers due to a recent postal strike.

Last month it was claimed that one player received four ballot papers due to a clerical cock-up, though that was subsequently denied by GPA chief, Dessie Farrell.

The ballot is being independently supervised by Dundalk-based accountancy firm KMR.

Meanwhile former Meath boss Sean Boylan has turned down an opportunity to return to inter-county management with Wexford.

Model County GAA chiefs approached the former Royals manager in their continued quest to replace Paul Bealin.

The news is a further blow to the county board, who have been turned down by a number of internal and external contenders.

Meanwhile the news is more positive for Tipperary football fans, with the confirmation of the appointment of former Kerry U-21 chief John Evans.

However Evans ruled out any immediate attempts to coax Declan Browne out of retirement.

Said Evans: “There is no point in me rushing off tomorrow, or the next day, and asking Declan Browne would he give it another go at inter-county level. Declan obviously made a decision to retire for a very good reason, and he’s not going to change his mind without careful and deliberate consideration.

“The most important thing is to get the team-management structure up in place in a very organised and effective manner.

“Then Declan could see if the set-up is for real, if we do things in a professional manner, and if we are an ambitious and aspirational group for the future of Tipperary football. Until that position is reached, there is no point in talking about the possibility of Declan making a comeback to inter-county football.”

Evans accepts that Tipperary football is currently at a low ebb, but he stresses that he would not have taken on the job if he didn’t feel a reasonable degree of potential existed in the county.

“There are plenty of promising young players in Tipperary,” argued the Killorglin native, who has been training teams for “29 years”. He went on: “For some time, Tipperary have been very competitive at underage level, and, of course, they reached the Munster Under-21 final this year.”

Evans managed the Kerry under-21 side in 1999 and 2001, he steered his own club, Laune Rangers, to the Kerry title in 1993, ‘95 and ‘96, and he guided Tralee outfit Kerins O’Rahillys to the Kerry Division One League title in 2006.

Predictably, his most immediate target is to attempt to secure promotion from Division Four of the National League.

But he maintains that could prove a difficult task. “You have the likes of Offaly, Clare, Wicklow, Antrim and Waterford there, and it won’t be easy to take points from any of those teams.”