Blow for Tipp as Jones set to depart for US

Tipperary footballers are likely to be without midfielder Brian Jones as well as Barry Grogan for the forthcoming championship season due to emigration.

In a major blow for newly-appointed interim manager Peter Creedon, both men are expected to fly out to join Meath’s Joe Sheridan at Boston club Wolfe Tones at the end of the month.

While ace forward Grogan’s plans were reported last week, the loss of Jones from the middle of the field is another massive blow for Tipperary as they prepare to face Kerry in a Munster SFC quarter-final in Thurles next month.

Their pending departures are indicative of how Tipperary is being ravaged by player emigration at the moment, a plight highlighted by GAA correspondent Stevie O’Donnell on Tipperary’s Mid-West Radio last week.

In Jones’ Arravale Rovers club alone, it is feared up to 12 senior players could be lost to emigration or transfers this year while one combined football club team in west Tipperary has struggled to even field teams this season.

In Tipperary, 17 players have switched to London since the start of the year while there have been at least 22 making the move to Australia with several more requests being received last week.

Already this month nationally, Cork’s Mark Cronin has been granted a move from Gabriel Rangers to Wolfe Tones in Melbourne with Tipperary’s Joey McLoughney (Toomevara) and Pat Shortt (Upperchurch) among six players from the county transferring to Sydney clubs.

All in all, there were 80 transfers sanctioned to Australia last month. Among them were inter-county players such as Galway hurling duo Aonghus Callanan and Donal Barry heading to Michael Cusacks, Sydney, Armagh’s Kieran Toner (Melbourne), Tyrone’s Martin Swift (Sydney) and Down hurler Gareth Johnson.

Meanwhile, North Tipperary referees have decided to accept the county board’s explanation about how they are to be paid this year.

There had been doubts about whether match officials would make themselves available for this weekend’s North Tipperary senior hurling championship as they had looked for written assurances.

However, following a meeting on Tuesday night, they agreed not to take any action after expressing satisfaction with the county board’s information that Croke Park’s talks with Revenue officials are going well.