Lillis dismisses Parkinson criticism

PORTLAOISE joint manager Mick Lillis brushed off stinging criticism from attacker Colm Parkinson, who was angered at being substituted in their Leinster club SFC semi-finaldefeat to St Brigid’s last Sunday.

Parkinson also vowed not to return to the club colours for the 2012 season when they will be chasing a sixthconsecutive county senior football crown, if Lillis and Mark Kavanaghremain in their positions as jointmanagers.

“I’m not the first manager that Colm has fallen out with but I might be one of the last,” he said, but added he “had no axe to grind” with the former Laois senior.

Parkinson lashed the decision to withdraw him from the Parnell Park clash in normal time and his subsequent reintroduction in extra-time when speaking on Newstalk’s Off The Ball show on Monday night.

“I can’t understand a management team that would bring you off with 20 minutes to go, have you freezing cold and then just bring you back on,” he said. “We’ve joint managers and some of the decisions that they make are crazy. They’retotally out of their depth.

“I give out about inter-county managers a lot but I’venever oncepublicly given out about a Portlaoise manager. But it’s hard to keep your mouth shut with these two fellas. It’s very hard to get a straightanswer out of them, they’ll just bluff you off. There wouldn’t bea hope I’d go back with Portlaoiseif those two were involved nextyear.”

But Lillis last night defended thedecision to take Parkinson off in the 42nd minute of the game, bringing him back on for the start of extra time before finally withdrawing him again in the 75th minute.

“I think it’s sad and a pity that heresorted to the airwaves to voice his displeasure,” he said

“I’m just disappointed that he did that, it takes from the club and from the senior football panel. It was a very good game and unfortunately we came out the wrong side of it. We are all frustrated and disappointed after it. At that time when we headed into extra time, I felt his experience would help us.

“It’s common enough in GAA to bring players back on if a game goes to extra-time as they can be more suited to how a game has changed. It’s a measure of how we regard him that we brought him back on.

“He wasn’t playing particularly well in the first half and I have no problem with that decision.”

Lillis described the criticism ‘aswater off a duck’s back’ and admitted he is in the dark over whether he will be returning to the managerial hotseat for the 2012 campaign.