Bad weather forces postponement of Limerick meetings
The Limerick hurling saga is set to drag on for another week following the postponement of tonight's specially-convened Limerick County Board AGM and the first County Board meeting of the year.
There is mounting speculation that a vote of no confidence in Limerick's top GAA officials could be proposed, as the Treaty county clubs are understood to be unhappy with how matters have been handled since Limerick hurling manager Justin McCarthy received a vote of confidence from the majority of the clubs just a month ago.
The meetings have been rescheduled for next Tuesday night (January 18) at the same venue in Claughaun.
County PRO Helen Cross said: "The weather conditions are very bad in Limerick at the moment, particularly in areas in the west of the county.
"A lot of our delegates would have difficulty in travelling to the meeting and you couldn't ask them to try and get into the city in such weather. The best decision was to postpone the meeting until next week."
A new development officer is set to be ratified during the AGM, while on the agenda for the County Board meeting is the confirmation of John Tuohy as a new selector under McCarthy.
Tuohy's appointment could provide club delegates with the opportunity to raise the matter of the ongoing hurling saga.
Fuel was added to the fire in recent weeks by three former Limerick managers, Eamonn Cregan, Richie Bennis and Tom Ryan, who have called on McCarthy to resign for "the good of Limerick hurling".
McCarthy has seen a total of 12 players withdraw from the Limerick panel amid growing revolt at the way team matters are being handled. Gavin O'Mahony, Tom Condon, Denis Moloney and Stephen Walsh became the latest players to step down on New Year's Eve.
There are now just six survivors from the Shannonsiders' 31-man 2009 panel on board for the new campaign, which begins for them on January 24 with a Waterford Crystal Cup quarter-final against either Cork or UCC.
Paul Browne, David Breen, Paudie McNamara, Bryan O'Sullivan, Graeme Mulcahy and David Moloney are the players remaining, while Timmy Houlihan, Limerick's regular goalkeeper before Brian Murray ousted him in 2006, and former Kerry stopper Tadhg Flynn, who plays his club hurling with Ahane in Limerick, are reportedly battling it out for the number 1 jersey.
McCarthy had 27 players out for training at UL last Tuesday and is due to oversee some further trial matches before confirming his panel for the 2010 season.
