Déise do things the Proper way in championship build-up

THE Waterford senior hurlers will received specialist training from international athletics star Kelly Proper.

The Ferrybank AC athlete, who competed in the Long Jump at the European Indoor Championships in Paris last weekend, will work with Davy Fitzgerald’s squad as part of their championship preparations.

She revealed: “I am helping out with Waterford hurlers for a couple of weeks.

“I will be just helping out with technique and stuff like that. Hopefully they’ll have a good season as well.”

However Waterford are set to be under the disciplinary spotlight this week following the dismissals of Shane O’Sullivan and Clinton Hennessy in their Allianz Hurling League defeat to Tipperary on Saturday night.

O’Sullivan received a straight red after striking Gearoid Ryan while Hennessy received his marching orders for a tackle on Patrick Maher.

The GAA’s Central Competitions Control Committee are likely to review video replays of the incident — which was televised live by Setanta Ireland — but Waterford officials are unlikely contest any charge.

“We’re meeting on Monday night to discuss it but I definitely wouldn’t think so (appeal),” said Waterford secretary Timmy O’Keeffe.

Meanwhile incoming president of the GAA, Liam O’Neill has called on clubs to declare what they are paying to outside managers in a bid to curb excessive spending.

“The amount paid to managers by clubs, I think we need to actually put those figures on the table. I would say the amount of money is staggering and can’t be sustained and won’t in the current climate.”

O’Neill’s comments come ahead of GAA director general Paraic Duffy’s report on the issue of payment to managers and was the clearest indication of the association’s new planning.

“We are actively working towards self-sufficiency.

Every club and county would have qualified coaches, and the better ones would coach county teams. That is ideal. We are only going back to what we did before. “We have gone away from it. We are going back to something from our own lifetime, it is not that difficult.”