Ciaran Carey: GAA Congress motion preventing players lining out with weaker counties ‘silly’

Kerry hurling manager Ciaran Carey has branded as “silly” a motion to this year’s GAA’s Annual Congress aimed at deleting the rule which allows players from stronger counties represent those from further down the pecking order.

The Kingdom have been a beneficiary of Rule 6.9 designated as ‘Special Eligibility Provision for Hurling’ with Patrick Kelly, a 2013 All-Ireland winner with Clare, lining out for his adopted county this year and last and playing a huge role in Kerry’s recent rise.

Division 2A and Christy Ring champions last season, Kerry started competitive life this term with a 1-24 to 2-14 win away to Laois on Sunday in Division 1B that was far more comfortable and composed than even that scoreline suggests.

Kelly was central to that, quite literally given the Clarecastle man again lined out at midfield, though he would become ineligible for Carey’s squad in future should the motion from Armagh seeking an end to the practice be passed at this year’s Congress.

“Armagh with an objection to that, it’s a silly one,” said Carey. “At the end of the day, I’m powerless with that, I have no control over that.

“All I know is we have 10 subs ready to rock and roll.

“If we’re going to lose a player next year, well and good.”

It would, he admitted, be a cruel personal blow to the player himself and Carey, who knows the gap between hurling’s haves and have-nots given he played at the top level with Limerick and now manages Kerry, was staunch in his defence of the regulation as is.

“Of course it should be there,” he explained.

“Sure Kerry have only seven or eight clubs there. Where they’re coming from at the end of the day, the GAA organisation would be duty bound to help weaker counties and this is only a simple suggestion.

“It isn’t five or six players, we have one player, like. Not only here.

“Anyone who is in the game of hurling, or football, in the so called weaker counties, the GAA is duty bound to encourage and improve the whole set-up and that’s what they did with Patrick Kelly last year and this year.”

Kelly should, strictly speaking, not be eligible this year.

The GAA’s Official Guide states the transfer becomes ineligible once the adopted county reaches the same status as the player’s native side, but Kerry appealed that successfully through Central Council.

It was yet another win in a growing list for the county hurlers who have been so unfashionable for so long and they now welcome Carey’s native county to Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday hoping to write another unlikely chapter in their unfolding drama.

Carey’s right-hand man with Kerry is fellow Limerick veteran Mark Foley but the manager, whose nephew Cian Lynch will be in the opposite ranks at the weekend, played down the significance of that.

“It’s as big as we make it.

“I suppose it would be harder if we were beaten (against Laois). It makes it that bit easier winning your first game and Limerick coming down to Kerry.

“It’ll be the same next week, there won’t be a whole pile expected of Kerry hurling.”

It will certainly be a truer test of their abilities than a callow Laois side that was without five retirees and two more of its key men and Carey put into perspective the task facing Kerry when they rub shoulders with TJ Ryan’s men.

“There’s an obvious difference there. If Kerry had five years of the development work that we’re doing presently with them they’d be a match for Limerick.

“That’s about the size of it. The development in Limerick is huge.

“The inter-county hurlers in Limerick are at U14s until now whereas in Kerry it’s a totally different ball game. They’re coming from a senior club situation straight into it so development-wise.

“Kerry are miles behind. That’s not trying to be cute, that’s as honest as I can be about it.”