Eamon Cregan anger as Limerick board refuses to budge on U-21 games

Former Limerick senior hurling manager and player Eamon Cregan has hit out at the Limerick County Board’s decision to play the club U21 hurling championship at the same time as the Fitzgibbon Cup.

Cregan’s Mary Immaculate College side earned their place in the Fitzgibbon Cup semi-finals weekend in Cork in a fortnight with a straightforward win over GMIT on Tuesday, but he was forced into resting key players for a season defining game.

Three Limerick colleges — Limerick IT and University of Limerick are also though — have qualified for the semi-finals but Cregan said the county U-21 championship should not be going on at the same time.

Mary Immaculate full-back Richie English started for the Limerick seniors last Saturday night against Wexford, played for his club Doon in the U21 championship on Sunday, before being stood down by Cregan for the Fitzgibbon Cup game.

Fellow Doon man Darragh O’Donovan played both games last weekend but missed out on Tuesday through illness. Cian Lynch played half of the game on Tuesday after a similar weekend’s action, while UL player Tom Morrissey has also featured in four games in a week.

Cregan says it’s county boards and fixture planners that are causing player burnout, not coaches.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Cregan said.

“Our great county board here in Limerick have decided that they have to play U21 championship matches in the middle of the Fitzgibbon Cup.

“It’s absolute madness what’s going on. The burnout is caused by county boards and fixture committees fixing matches right in the middle of the Fitzgibbon Cup.

“The Fitzgibbon Cup has been around for 50 or 60 years now, and our county board go along and fix U21 championship matches, knowing full well when the Fitzgibbon Cup is on.

There is no rest in sight for many of the Mary Immaculate players. The Limerick contingent remain on course to play 11 games in a month, while Clare’s Colm Galvin and Tipperary’s Ronan Maher, John Meagher, Niall O’Meara and Seamus Kennedy will likely feature for their counties in the meantime.

“It’s unfair on the players. It’s getting to the stage that these lads will be burned out and they still have the championship to come,” said Cregan.

“Some play hurling and football with the clubs so where is it going to stop. I don’t know, it’s absolutely madness,” he said.