Board back McCarthy

LIMERICK GAA chairman Liam Lenihan has given his full backing to embattled senior hurling manager Justin McCarthy.
And, Lenihan is to meet with a number of individual players in the coming days in an effort to solve the current impasse surrounding Limerick hurling.


“At the October County Board meeting, when we discussed the defeat to Tipperary, I said that Justin had a two-year term and there was no one against it and that’s still the same,” Lenihan told Leader Sport this Monday morning.
The next full meeting of Limerick GAA officials and club delegates will not take place until the Annual Convention in December.
The chairman said that only something “extraordinary” would result in the scheduling of a special County Board meeting.
“The door is still open to all players,” stressed Lenihan.
“The management are to hold another trial this Friday and another one later in the month.
“When all the trials are finished, they will sit down and look at everybody before finalising their panel,” explained the chairman.
Already Damien Reale and James Ryan have departed McCarthy’s squad in protest at the extensive changes to the inter-county panel.
Limerick GAA officials will hope that meetings in the coming days can insure that there are no further departures.
Meanwhile on Friday night Limerick GAA’s teams of the last 25 years were announced at a gala function in the Strand Hotel. Ciaran Carey was unveiled as Limerick’s hurler of the last 25 years while John Quane was honoured as the footballer of the last 25 years.
Hurling team: Tommy Quaid (Feohanagh/Effin); Steve McDonogh (Bruree), Leonard Enright (Patrickswell), Declan Nash (South Liberties), Dave Clarke (Kilmallock/Bruff), Ciaran Carey (Patrickswell), Mark Foley (Adare); Mike Houlihan (Kilmallock), Ger Hegarty (Old Christians); Paddy Kelly (Kilmallock), Gary Kirby (Patrickswell), Jimmy Carroll (Hospital-Herbertstown), TJ Ryan (Garryspillane), Joe McKenna (South Liberties) and Shane Fitzgibbon (Adare).
Football team: Richard Bowles (Oola); Johnny McCarthy (St Kierans), Paddy Ivess (Askeaton), Tommy Stack (Drom-B’dford); Stephen Lavin (Adare), Stephen Lucey (Croom), Conor Mullane (St Senans); John Galvin (Croom), John Quane (Galtee Gaels); Stephen Kelly (Newcastle West), Donal Fitzgibbon (Oola), Seanie Buckley (Drom-B’dford); Timmy Cummins (Galbally), Muiris Gavin (Monaleen), Micheal Reidy (Drom-B’dford).
On the playing field yesterday Blackrock were crowned county junior A hurling champions with a 2-18 to 1-16 win over Effin in Kilmallock while in Dromcollogher the county junior B hurling final ended all square - Kileedy 2-4 St. Mary’s-Sean Finns 0-10.
Next weekend Adare will travel to Pairc Ui Chaoimh to face Newtownshandrum in the Munster senior club hurling championship semi-final while on the local front the headline final will be the county junior A football championship final which will be an all-west affair between Glin and Mountcollins.

JEROME O’CONNELL