Mick O’Sullivan brands Tipperary chairman ‘naive’ for wading into dual debate

Tipperary minor football team manager Mick O’Sullivan has described county board chairman Michael Bourke as “naive” for comments he made relating to the use of dual players.

And O’Sullivan has declared himself “seriously disappointed” with confirmation that minor players in the county will play one code only this year, even if they harboured hopes of playing both.

O’Sullivan insisted that his major gripe is not with minor hurling boss Liam Cahill, even though Cahill has insisted that he will not entertain dual players in 2016.

Instead, O’Sullivan believes county board officials should advocate the use of dual players, after a motion aimed at making players choose one code only was defeated at annual convention last December.

And O’Sullivan is unhappy that a number of players were put in a position where they were essentially forced to choose between hurling and football.

The Kildare native said: “I’m seriously disappointed with these developments.

“The players were put in a position where they had to make a decision rather than making the decision themselves with their families.

“When I got the job, I rang Liam straight up and we agreed between the two of us that we could work things out.

“I had great meetings with Liam and we worked a lot of stuff out.

“The two squads could have benefited and I have 100% no issue with Liam, but I do have an issue with how the county board handled the whole thing.

“I can see Liam’s point of view, he’s totally focused on this year and there’s a lot of pressure involved with hurling in Tipperary.

“But the county board coming out and doing what they’re doing is not taking the pressure off Liam — it’s adding to it. The county board want to bring our panel to 30, even though we have 32 players up to standard.

“For the sake of political things, they want us to go to 30 even though the senior hurlers can bring 40 away on a four-day training camp.

“It’s all about short-term gain, not long-term player development, and that’s what we’re angry about.”

Bourke backed Cahill’s stance and indicated that dual players in Tipperary are a dying breed, adding that “it’s very hard to serve two masters at that level”.

And O’Sullivan reflected: “I was amused at how naive he (Bourke) could be to come out and make comments like that. Basically what he’s saying is he’s putting a divide between hurling and football people in the county, when there shouldn’t be.

“There’s no need for that and young lads are being used as political footballs.

“All Liam Cahill wants to do is develop players, I’m the same, but coming out and saying these things doesn’t do anything for relations between hurling and football people.

“Ok, the stance this year is that there are no dual players but surely we could work out the reasons why not. With good management, it could be achieved.

“Tipp is a proud GAA county, and has always had a proud dual tradition.

“You can go back and everyone knew Brendan Cummins and John Leahy (who played both hurling and football for Tipperary).

“If you stop that, you’re diminishing the profile of GAA in the county at a time when there’s never been as much competition from rugby and other sports.

“Most of those dual players last year are on scholarships in colleges, on the back of being dual players.

“They had the profile and at a time when there are issues surrounding access to college and money and stuff like that, it’s the young lads who are going to suffer.”