Swift solution essential in Cork row

WHAT is going to happen in Cork? Another week gone by and more damage done to the GAA. Whatever the rights or the wrongs on either side, this stand-off needs to be sorted or at least brought to a conclusion speedily.

I wrote in this paper last Saturday week that it was a mistake to send in Kieran Mulvey last spring and that his eventual solution was only going to bring a temporary peace. It was a bit like the Treaty of Versailles after the First World War. It led directly to World War II.

I noticed that Liam Griffin, the inspirational Wexford hurling manager of ‘96 made a similar point during the week. He was quoted as saying: “The deal brokered last year meant that we were always only one step away from a strike. That’s the kind of mediation used in the public sector and that kind of model just doesn’t work in a sports arena.”