Still no resolution to Limerick dispute

A LONG and detailed debate but still no resolution to the Limerick hurling crisis – that was the outcome of last night’s monthly county board meeting in Claughaun.

It began with board secretary Mike O’Riordan informing the meeting of Croke Park’s refusal to get involved in a mediation role between the 24 players currently at odds with the senior hurling team management led by Justin McCarthy, which kicked off a sometimes stormy debate; a fairly obvious divide between the top table and the majority of those who spoke.

While disappointed with the refusal of Croke Park to get involved, county chairman Liam Lenihan was still in favour of going down the mediation route, suggesting a professional mediator should be brought in.

Not on, reckoned Louis Quirke (Ahane): “The players have made it clear that they’re not going back under this manager – how many times has that got to be said?” he asked. “We have only two options – we vote to remove the manager, or we leave things as they are. As I can see, positions have hardened since the last meeting, mediation has even less of a chance. We have only two choices, left to us – change the management, or not. When Croke Park isn’t acceptable to the players, who is?”

Val Maloney from Kilmallock, who have players on both the 2009 and 2010 panels, agreed: “To ask the delegates to agree to a professional mediator is a proposal from the attic; we’re after getting ourselves into this mess, we now have only two options to get ourselves out of it – move Justin, or never talk to about it again.

“Six months on (from the start of the crisis), it’s time for the executive to bite the bullet, look for a motion of no confidence, move on.”

John Stapleton from Monilea agreed: “There are so many precedents for this situation in other counties; all we can learn from that, surely, is that we’ve got to take the same course as every other county that found itself in this position. There’s no point in mediation – when a manager loses the dressing room, then it’s like Humpty Dumpty, it can’t be put back together. We have only one choice, or we’ll have no team.”

Board member Henry Martin said: “It costs big money to bring down a professional mediator – it’s a waste of money we don’t have. We should knock that on the head now. We have two choices, go on as we are with Justin or change management. Mediation won’t change anything, the players have made their position clear twice, publicly; we might as well throw our money down the drain.”

Chairman Liam Lenihan, however, declared that the new players are happy with Justin McCarthy’s training, and stated he too was happy.

But Seán Roche of Newcastlewest wasn’t: “The players are happy, the manager is happy, the board is happy, but what about the genuine Limerick supporters? Are they happy? We know they’re not.”

Just when it seemed a vote of no confidence in the manager was being proposed, Liam Lenihan intervened: “You know and I know, I can’t take a motion of no confidence tonight, we have to have notice of motion, signed by five clubs. A democratic decision was taken (to have Justin McCarthy as manager); where we’re concerned, unless it is overturned by ye that decision still stands.”

At that, the meeting moved on, but given the mood, it is now likely that the requisite five clubs will get together and a motion of no confidence could be submitted at the next meeting.