Staggered return to collective training for inter-county teams

Cork’s footballers and hurlers will be permitted to reconvene for collective inter-county training on Saturday, December 8.

Having both exited their respective All-Ireland championships at the semi-final stages in August, Conor Counihan and Jimmy Barry-Murphy can begin their 2013 preparations in earnest almost four weeks earlier than last year.

They are permitted to do so under the new phased inter-county training moratorium, which permits counties returning to training earlier than previously, based on what stage they exited that year’s Championship.