Liam Dunne: GAA must act on Andrew Shore ban

Wexford hurling manager Liam Dunne has put GAA chiefs in his sights and pulled the trigger.

The Model County chief firstly lashed out at disciplinary chiefs for handing down a 48-week ban to key defender Andrew Shore.

And he followed up with a stinging rebuke of the Association’s ‘culture of committees’ involving former players he reckons would be better off helping their own counties.

Last season’s breakthrough manager was speaking at the launch of Glanbia’s sponsorship for 2015 and he even took a pot shot at Cork captain Anthony Nash.

But his most pressing concern was the suspension handed down to Shore late last year, and recently upheld on appeal, be reduced.

Shore was banned for 48 weeks for allegedly playing ineligibly in the UK last October.

The player, who started all of last year’s Championship games in Wexford’s memorable run to the All-Ireland quarter-finals, believed his paper work was in order.

But he was recently informed followed an appeal in the UK his ban has been upheld.

It’s understood that a further appeal will now take place here and Dunne begged the GAA to intervene.

“You could half kill a fella on a hurling field and you wouldn’t get 48 weeks,” blasted Dunne.

“It’s crazy stuff. I just hope the GAA looks at this now and acts.

“The lad has been suspended since last October. He’s not training, he’s not playing in challenge games, he didn’t play in the Walsh Cup and he’s going to miss the national league.

“It’s an awful thing. I just don’t think that what they’ve dished out here is appropriate at all. I’d be calling on the GAA to offer some reduction.

“Andrew is 24, he’s a young man playing an amateur game. Is it right to put a lad like that out of the game for a year over something like this? I don’t think so.”

On the issue of GAA officials generally, Dunne said he can’t understand why they are continually proposing change in the game.

He was speaking in the context of the one-on-one penalty trial which was recommended by the Liam Sheedy chaired Hurling 2020 committee.

“We’re having committees after committees with former players and the works,” he said.

“Leave them back to their own counties and let them put in the work there.

“Wouldn’t they be far better off with their own counties than sitting around a table with Liam Sheedy? I just think, like, what is wrong with hurling? Nothing.”

Dunne said he’s particularly frustrated with the one-on-one penalty trial which has been experimented with so far this year.

“All these meetings and stuff going on, having to change the whole rule because of one man, Anthony Nash, I think it’s crazy,” added the 1996 All-Ireland medallist.

“What I would have done from the start is put the ball back three yards for penalties, that’s all. Lift it then and strike it from wherever you want and leave the three lads back on the goal line as normal.”

As for Nash himself, Dunne took a pop at the Cork goalkeeper for being too interested in stealing yardage with the elaborate lifting style he famously used in the 2013 Championship before the rules were altered.

“I was delighted to see (Nash) starting to fumble the ball and missing them as well,” said Dunne.

“He might have scored the odd one but he made a hash of a couple of them as well. If he hadn’t went to try and lift it so far...he’d have been better off concentrating on striking it instead of trying to bring it in so far over the 21 and then whinging at the Clare goal man coming out. And the ‘keeper had every right to do it.”

Meanwhile, Wexford football manager David Power confirmed captain Ciaran Lyng won’t appeal a two-match ban.

The experienced forward was given the suspension for a straight red card offence in last weekend’s heavy Allianz League defeat to Clare. He will miss Sunday’s crucial Division 3 clash with Armagh at Wexford Park.