Cusack: Rebel stars will walk away ‘on principle’

INDIVIDUAL Cork players will walk away from the intercounty scene rather than being part of the current set-up in which the senior team managers have lost the right to pick their own selectors.

That’s the view of hurling goalkeeper and GPA chairman Donal Óg Cusack, who is convinced that the action was prompted by County Board “anger” over situations such as the fixtures hold-up during the summer.

“What the players said in their statement, it’s not even strike — they are just going to go away,’’ he said.

“There would be a number of hurlers I would be very close to and I know they would do that because they know hurling will go on.

“When Christy Ring left, Cork hurling continued on. You don’t get paid for this, so in a way it’s not a strike. They just won’t be part of it and if more guys want to be part of it, that’s fine.

“Guys believe in the principle of this thing. Either you believe it or you don’t. Hurling is my life, that is what I get out of bed in the morning for. But in terms of selling yourself, guys just won’t do it.’’

Cusack was speaking in New York yesterday, after he had lined out with the losing 2006 Vodafone Allstars in Gaelic Park on Saturday evening. Without offering an opinion on how the current impasse can be overcome, he stressed that the players are adamant they will not back down.

“I was going home in the car with one of the lads after the night that this whole thing came out and we were saying, we don’t believe this is going on.

“But either you believe in the thing or you don’t. We’re certain that what has happened is that the Board has used a number of situations to use that anger against the inter-county team.

“Clubs voted twice and that’s fair enough, but definitely the anger of a certain number of situations, be it certain individuals or be it the fixtures situation — was used and directed the way it was. That’s a fact.’’

Cusack doesn’t believe delegates appreciate the work put in by management teams, saying that they are “nearly living” with their players: “It’s not something you put in place and the boys turn up on the day. You are putting certain people working together that are very busy individuals and are going to spend a lot of time together during the year.

He rejected the suggestion that the hurlers are “driving” this issue, saying that the football squad had very strong individuals who were “well capable of looking after themselves, well capable of deciding which way they want to go.

“This happened so quickly because the players did not want to make it a personal thing. That’s why they moved before the Board did. The reality is that the Board then were very happy to do that. Instantaneously, they made it a personal thing and were happy for that situation to be created!’’

Cusack met informally with GAA President Nickey Brennan after the game and discussed the resolution of the grants issue. “I thanked him, I genuinely thanked him. While maybe some of us are seen as being militant, — we have no problem with that, no problem in doing whatever has to be done — we fully understand and appreciate the likes of Nickey’s and Paraic’s (Duffy) situation, where they have a lot of constituents to deal with, not only the players.”

He predicts that the GPA can go on to be a “positive influence” in the GAA if and when they have a voice in the Association.

*Cusack also spoke about meeting briefly with Brian Cody, who managed the 2006 team of which he was a member. “I met him yesterday at the breakfast table. I said to him I’m not much up for the small talk or whatever. In terms of my hurling career he would be an enemy but, do I respect him? Absolutely, because of his achievements. You’d be a fool not to respect a man like that!’’