David Power: Tipperary footballers must defy hurling chiefs

Former Tipperary All-Ireland winning minor football manager David Power says he wants to see potential dual players play for their county rather than being threatened with being dropped from hurling squads.

Speaking at Tuesday night’s Tipperary football board AGM in Thurles, Power cited the example of a secondary school student who was dropped from his school’s Harty Cup hurling squad because he wanted to play football and he referenced current Tipperary U21 hurling manager Liam Cahill’s opposition to dual players

Power urged young GAA players to stand up for themselves and give football a shot if they are interested.

“There is one young man that has said he is going to play football and he doesn’t care if he is going to be dropped off the U21 hurling or not. And they are the type of players that Tipp football going forward need, not fellas that are going to bow down to managers and [be] dictated [to],” said Power.

“We need players that want to play for Tipp football, not to be going down on a bended knee begging lads.”

Power, who led Tipperary to their second ever minor football All-Ireland in 2011, also voiced his concerns regarding football development squads, and the role the football board has in selecting those squads.

“What I’m worried about is if the football board don’t have a say in picking development quads we are going nowhere in this county.”

At the AGM the football board’s new chairman Barry O’Brien (Fr Sheedy’s) was ratified, as was new vice chairman Conor O’Dwyer (Upperchurch-Drombane), while incumbent secretary Hugh Coghlan (Moyne Templetuohy) and PRO Enda O’Sullivan (Nenagh Éire Óg) retained their seats.