Cork clubs furious after inter-county hurlers not made available for league games

Clubs in Cork are furious that senior inter-county hurlers were not available for league games last Sunday, one week after the conclusion of Cork’s Allianz NHL campaign.

Following a recent meeting between Cork County Board chairperson Tracey Kennedy, secretary Kevin O’Donovan, and Cork hurling manager John Meyler, an agreement was drawn up whereby Cork senior hurlers would be made available to their clubs for the 14 days before their first-round county championship game in April and for all league games ahead of the same fixture.

O’Donovan said there had been an apparent breakdown in communications between himself and Meyler as a gathering of the Cork hurling panel last Sunday meant Cork players were unable to line out for their clubs across five Division 1 league fixtures which took place on the same day. A number of clubs operating in the lower divisions, similarly, did not have access to their county players for their respective league games.

“I would have spoken with the manager and it seems we had a different interpretation of what happened at our meeting,” said Kevin O’Donovan of the player-release policy agreed by the board executive and Cork hurling boss John Meyler.

“It won’t happen in the future. The policy is there. The implementation was the problem. The attitude of, ‘if there is a clash between club and county, it is up to the player to decide’, that should never, ever happen.”

Cork chairperson Tracey Kennedy said county players should have been with their clubs last Sunday.

“We thought we had been very clear that they should have been available for all league games.”

An email had been circulated to clubs last Friday outlining the player-release policy so there was obvious disgruntlement when clubs learned over the weekend that the Cork hurlers, despite their Allianz league campaign having concluded a week earlier, were on inter-county duty the same day as league fixtures had been scheduled.

“Everyone wants Cork to be playing hurling and football in August, but, at the same time, we the clubs don’t want to be ridden roughshod over,” said Youghal delegate Liam O Laocha.

Added Der O’Regan of Douglas: “Clubs are being dictated to every day of the week. Inter-county managers dictate when clubs see their players.”

Cork policy is that Cork hurlers are with their clubs for the 14 days before a county hurling championship fixture, the same for Cork footballers ahead of a county football championship game. These 14 days are to be free of inter-county activity.

For a Cork hurler playing county football championship (such as Castlehaven’s Damien Cahalane) and vice-versa, he is released to his club just five days before the championship.

“From a club point of view, it is not acceptable that club players are released to us just five days before championship. Five days is a joke.” continued Douglas’ Der O’Regan.