Midfielder Quirke quits Kerry panel

KERRY midfielder Michéal Quirke has left the Kerry panel due to a series of niggling injuries and family commitments.

A statement released by the Kerry County Board last night read: “Micheál Quirke has removed himself from the Kerry senior football panel for the remainder of the championship due to a series of niggling injuries that have curtailed his game time and his ongoing personal commitments.”

The timing of Quirke’s decision is unusual as Kerry are possibly just 70 minutes away from an All-Ireland final.

However, a Kerry source said: “It had been on the cards for a while. He wasn’t getting the game time he wanted because the injuries were holding him back and would have had a heart-to-heart with Jack (O’Connor).”

Quirke, who debuted in the SFC for Kerry in 2004, last appeared as a substitute in the Munster semi-final against Limerick in June.

His wife also gave birth to twins earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Croke Park director Peter McKenna has criticised RTÉ for a lack of balance in their segment on the state of the stadium’s pitch on The Committee Room on Wednesday night.

McKenna took umbrage at the panel conversation hosted by Marty Morrissey in which the condition of the playing surface for last weekend’s games at HQ was questioned.

“It appeared to be a prompted position that Marty took on,” said McKenna. “It’s disappointing. All you ask for is balance but that was not evident. It wasn’t a debate, it was opinion. For RTÉ to take a position without a counterpoint to it is disappointing, especially when what was said doesn’t match the factual position.”

The Croke Park pitch was relaid following the Take That concert in June.

McKenna said they have yet to receive a single complaint about the Croker pitch.

“We take pitch measurements every day but particularly on the day of the game itself to test the hardness of the surface and it is well within our tolerance levels,” he said. “The pitch is a brand new surface and has been performing extraordinarily well. Kieran McGeeney described it as the best pitch Kildare have played on.

“Few surfaces if any would be able to take three games on a Saturday, two on a Sunday not to mention activity days the previous Monday and Tuesday.

“To look as well as it did, to perform as well as it did, was all part of a job well done.”