Two Waterford club hurlers remain sidelined despite DRA backing

Request to play for Clonea denied by county CCC for a second time.

STILL SIDELINED: The DRA adjudged on July 18 that the county’s competition control committee’s (CCC) decision to prohibit Micheál Harney, a member of the Waterford senior hurling panel last year, and Ciarán Kirwan from playing for Clonea while continuing to be members of football-only Bonmahon should be quashed. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Two hurlers seeking to play for Waterford club Clonea in this year’s senior championship remain sidelined despite a recent Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA) judgement ruling in favour of them.

The DRA adjudged on July 18 that the county’s competition control committee’s (CCC) decision to prohibit Micheál Harney, a member of the Waterford senior hurling panel last year, and Ciarán Kirwan from playing for Clonea while continuing to be members of football-only Bonmahon (Harney) and Kill (Kirwan) should be quashed.

The hearings committee’s upholding of the CCC’s call was also rejected. The DRA determined that Waterford’s CCC “failed to adequately set out the reasons for the refusal of the Claimant’s application”.

The three-man DRA body ordered that the hurlers’ application “to assist” Clonea be remitted to Waterford GAA’s competitions control committee for processing before the start of the championship last Friday. However, it was rejected again and is pending an appeal to the county’s hearings body.

Harney and Kirwan sought the hurling-only move as Bonmahon and Kill were not fielding adult teams in that code in 2024. Harney's application was rejected on the basis that it did not comply with a bye-law pertaining to players from football-only clubs lining out for “neighbouring” hurling-only units.

Harney’s request to move to Clonea was issued last January five days prior to the Bonmahon secretary claiming their players wished to play hurling for St Mary’s East again this season.

Harney, among other Bonmahon players, was allowed to represent Dunhill in 2023. St Mary’s East was a new club established last year combining hurlers from Bonmahon and Kill.

The DRA wrote that Waterford’s CCC and hearings committee “appear to ignore the fact” that Harney made his application to switch before the correspondence from the Bonmahon secretary and yet that latter was considered before Harney’s email at a meeting.

In their discussions, the DRA concluded: “The basis upon which the first named Respondent (CCC) made its decision is not clear to the Tribunal. The first named Respondent has failed to adequately set out the reasons for the refusal of the Claimant’s application.

“This is apparent from the legal submissions that were lodged on behalf of the Respondents. The reasons and/or rationale provided in the legal submissions were not reflected in the first named Respondent’s written decision.” 

At last week’s reapplication, the CCC stated the original request should have been made “to assist” St Mary’s East as it’s the most proximate hurling-only club to Bonmahon. They stated: “It is the decision of the CCC to refuse the application on the grounds that it is not in the interest of the promotion of Hurling and Football in the applicant’s area and in the County generally.” 

In his request to the CCC earlier this year to be allowed play for Clonea, Harney wrote of his wish to emulate his late grandfather Joe in playing for Waterford and believed senior club hurling was “the only way I can keep this ambition alive”. He also mentioned he would be living in Clonea parish from this year.

However, the CCC argued “the level at which the club which the player wishes to assist competes is not a relevant consideration”.