Ex-Kilkenny captain calls for strike

Former Kilkenny captain Eddie O'Connor has urged GPA members to boycott September's All-Ireland finals.

In a radical move the skipper of the 1993 All-Ireland winning side said: "Sometimes in life you have to make a sacrifice to get places ­ and there is no bigger sacrifice than striking."

O'Connor famously endorsed better standards for players in his All-Ireland winning speech in '93.

He added: "The public should back the GPA players and the teams if they decide to strike. They have to put the GAA under real pressure now ­ not in November when they can't be hurt. The All-Ireland finals are precious to them."