Daly fury as Gilroy withdraws dual star O’Carroll

DUBLIN senior hurling manager Anthony Daly has slammed football boss Pat Gilroy’s decision to withdraw dual star Rory O’Carroll from tomorrow night’s Bord Gáis Energy Leinster U21 hurling final.

Gilroy laid down the law with Kilmacud Crokes star O’Carroll, informing the player that any decision to play for the U21 hurlers would jeopardise his chances of featuring against Armagh in Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC qualifier.

O’Carroll felt that he was left with no option but to opt out of the U21 showdown against Wexford at Parnell Park — a move which leaves team manager Richard Stakelum without his centre back.

An irate Daly said: “I think it’s unbelievable really. We’ll have four guys playing in the U21 match and again next Saturday. The football management’s point of view is it’s too much to ask him to play on Wednesday and again on Saturday but he’s a 20-year-old, fit, young fella. Sixty minutes hurling on Wednesday is not going to make him unavailable for Saturday. It’s a joke.

“Look at how fellas last in the World Cup with matches every three or four days — how do they last on the Lions tour when they go and play twice a week? It’s rubbish.

“It’s very disappointing — it’s Rory’s last year U21 and he’s always given a commitment to hurling.”

Meanwhile both Cork and Offaly have had their senior inter-county clashes in hurling and football scheduled for different days next weekend after the GAA released the qualifier fixture arrangements yesterday.

Cork’s hurlers face a Munster senior final replay against Waterford on Saturday night in Thurles with the county’s football side playing Wexford on Sunday afternoon in Wexford Park.

Offaly’s footballers will face Down in O’Connor Park in Tullamore next Saturday night before the Offaly hurlers play Tipperary on Sunday in Portlaoise.

Cork chairman Jerry O’Sullivan expressed delight that both senior teams were not scheduled to play on the same day, an arrangement that could allow dual star Eoin Cadogan to line out for both Cork teams next weekend.

“We felt very strongly that the county couldn’t be expected to play two matches in one day. We attended that meeting after the drawn Munster final match about the fixtures. We insisted that they had to be on different days and pressed that very strongly. Common sense thankfully prevailed, which I’m delighted about.”