Pressure mounts on McCarthy
Friday November 20 2009
AS MANY as a half-dozen big-name Limerick players have left Justin McCarthy's panel, plunging the county into a hurling crisis that will increase pressure on him to step down.
Damien Reale and James Ryan stepped down a few weeks ago and now Brian Geary, Donal O'Grady, Seamus Hickey and Wayne McNamara have joined them.
The latest defectors are also believed to include Gavin O'Mahony and James O'Brien. But the Limerick County Board officials insisted yesterday that McCarthy still has their unanimous support.
They are clearly now desperately trying to stave off a full-scale player mutiny of the type that has already thrown their hurling neighbours, Clare, into complete chaos.
commitment
Three weeks ago, when McCarthy called players together to organise winter training, it became apparent that he had omitted a dozen regulars from his future plans, including players of the calibre of Mark Foley, dual star Stephen Lucey, Niall Moran and Andrew O'Shaughnessy.
But the fact that McCarthy did not contact these players to tell them they were no longer included -- and particularly the fact that he intimated that he had made the cull in response to a lack of commitment -- infuriated some players.
Recent retiree, Ollie Moran, and Damien Reale are the only two players to go public so far.
Reale (28) said that he had quit because of McCarthy's explanation that a lack of discipline had been the primary reason for the clear out. "The question I asked myself was: could I give 100pc to a management team that had treated people like this?" Reale said.
Moran, whose brother Niall was one of those dropped, said: "I'm seething and shocked at the insinuation that those guys lacked commitment. Ask any previous trainer or manager; all the guys named are totally committed, both to their club and county."
He pointed out that Andrew O'Shaughnessy, Donie Ryan and Mike O'Brien are non-drinkers.
"Mark O'Riordan and Niall, those guys hardly take a drink, they live for hurling," he said. "To infer now that they were lacking in commitment to Limerick, that they were somehow distracted, broke a code of discipline, really rankles."
When Reale and Ryan initially left, it was believed that not enough of the remaining panel had the stomach to try to oust McCarthy.
But the high-profile nature of the half-dozen players that have now joined them indicates that this is not so.
McCarthy is a highly decorated former player and manager but, in his last managerial job at Waterford he was ousted -- mid-championship -- by a player coup.
Limerick secretary, Mike O'Riordan, refused to comment yesterday only to say that "negotiations are ongoing" and he referred queries to county PRO, Helen Cross.
"At a meeting of the county Management Committee in the Gaelic Grounds on Wednesday night it was decided unanimously to support Justin McCarthy and his management team for 2010," Cross said, in a pre-prepared statement clearly designed to stand firm behind the manager.
Cross also insisted that "the door is open for any of these players."
"Justin has said he is available to talk to any player who wishes to meet him, including these four players, but I understand that they have declined his offer," she added.
McCarthy was reappointed at the last county meeting in October, The next board meeting is not scheduled until December 7 (which is also county convention) and it remains to be seen if clubs will demand an emergency meeting in the meantime.
- Cliona Foley
Irish Independent
