Limerick to continue with joint-captains for 2021

Limerick's Iain Corbett and Donal O'Sullivan lift the McGrath Cup in January 2020. Picture: INPHO/Ken Sutton

Limerick’s senior footballers are the first county team to confirm they will continue with joint-captains as Iain Corbett and Donal O’Sullivan will remain in the roles. Billy Lee revealed the decision earlier today.

The announcement comes three months after GAA’s Central Council voted to ban co-captains from receiving trophies - Corbett and O’Sullivan held aloft the Division 4 trophy last October after their win over Sligo confirmed they finished the round stages at the top of the table.

A number of counties such as Longford and Wexford have queried the rationale behind the decision to stop two players receiving cups. Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald is expected to appoint co-captains again this year having given the positions to Lee Chin and Matthew O’Hanlon in recent years.

Last month, Longford chairman Albert Cooney told the Irish Examiner that he didn’t expect the rule to be strictly enforced. Longford have a number of amalgamated clubs that have joint-captains, each representing one of the clubs that have come together.

“There were a number of counties who had a similar problem to what we had. Our problem is we have a number of what they call independent clubs whose numbers are that low that they have to come together to form teams.

“In that situation, the tradition in the county was that a player from each club would be appointed joint-captain and give a sense of ownership to each parish. The new rule brought in cancels that out and the very fact it came up surprised a lot of delegates because it wasn’t discussed much prior to Congress.

“The upshot of it is it has been discussed at Central Council since and that the rule mightn’t be applied rigorously, put it that way. There wasn’t enough said about it prior to being brought and I think the authorities realised more thought had to be put into it.”