Defiant Cork hurling boss vows to remain in charge

EMBATTLED Cork hurling coach Gerald McCarthy insists he will remain in charge of the team to ensure the proper principles and values are handed on to the next Rebel coach.

McCarthy looks to be on a hiding to nothing with his new-look, inexperienced Cork side for tomorrow’s opening NHL game against Dublin, but the public backing for the county’s striking hurlers will be gauged from a public march today in the city. Up to 3,000 are expected to show their support for the 2008 panel.

However, in an interview today, McCarthy says he is not driven by a stubbornness or ego: “There are fundamental principles here, values about Cork hurling that I treasure. I want to establish the right of a manager to be democratically elected; does a group of players have the right to veto the appointment of a manager?”