The eagerly-awaited meeting of the club delegates of the 69 clubs of the county will take place in the Community Centre in Ballyagran at 6.30pm.
The starting time and venue have raised eyebrows across the county, but County Board officials insist that they planned the meeting to co-incide with the launch of the Limerick GAA Yearbook which takes place in Mark Foley’s Bar later that evening in Ballyagran.
In an extraordinary departure the special County Board meeting will be held in camera. Limerick GAA chairman Liam Lenihan confirmed to Leader Sport this Wednesday morning that an executive meeting of County Board officers had taken the decision to exclude members of the media from the meeting in Ballyagran.
Earlier this week former Limerick GAA chairman Denis Holmes led the calls for the scheduling of a County Board meeting to discuss the latest saga to engulf Limerick hurling.
At this Monday night’s Annual Convention of the East Divisional Board in Ahane chairman Denis Holmes said that the clubs of the county need to be heard.
“The matter has been discussed at length through various media around the county, but there has been silence from the County Board except to say they completely support the management team,” the divisional chairman told the meeting.
He added: “That is of course totally commendable, but with players dropping out on a daily basis we are now approaching a crisis and as long as the matter is not solved or indeed, at a minimum, discussed at County Board level questions will remain.
“As with anyone with an ounce of Limerick blood in their veins I hope that is sorted out and while I think it has been allowed to drag on too long already my plea to the executive is sort it before it becomes unsolvable,” pleaded Holmes.
“What has been going on in the recent past has not been encouraging.
“Have we so many good players that we can afford to make such radical adjustments? While I have doubts, if the management are confident they can produce them, then brilliant. However if they do not then where do we go? As with all things time will tell. I hope in the near future time will be allowed for a discussion on the matter. If the gamble by the selectors does not work I feel that clubs and the County Board will suffer.”
Last weekend’s withdrawal of 2007 All-Star goalkeeper Brian Murray brings to eight the number of hurlers that have opted out of Justin McCarthy’s inter-county panel - Brian Geary, Damien Reale, Seamus Hickey, Donal O’Grady, Wayne McNamara, James O’Brien and James Ryan.
“We have to recognise that our senior hurlers are our flagship team and we as a county owe it to our supporters in particular to field a team that is trained, dedicated and prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure they compete to the best of their ability.
“Equally a management structure has to be in place to help in the preparation of the team and give them that vital edge,” said Holmes in his wide-ranging address to the convention.
“There are lots of things to be sorted, but I want to place two points on record that I feel are vital - who decided not to tell the players they were being dropped the management team or the County Board and when the charters were negotiated with Justin McCarthy and Mickey Ned O’Sullivan was it agreed that players could play both football and hurling?”
Just two items appear on the agenda for next Thursday’s meeting - the ‘GAA/GPA proposal’ and ‘Limerick senior team situation’.
Like every county in the country Limerick must discuss the proposed alignment of the GPA and GAA and decide to agree or disagree with the proposal before a meeting of Central Council on December 5 in Croke Park.
Football manager
While not on the agenda for the meeting Limerick GAA officials could also take the opportunity of the County Board meeting to finally confirm Mickey Ned O’Sullivan as Limerick’s senior football manager for a fifth year.
At a meeting of Limerick’s Football Board on October 26 the reappointment of Mickey Ned O’Sullivan as county football manager moved a step closer when the Kerryman was given the backing of the football delegates. However the appointment for a further one-year term still needs to be rubber stamped at a full County Board meeting.
Returning alongside the Kenmare man will be coach Donie Buckley and selectors Joe Redington and Paddy Ivess. Joining the senior backroom team for 2010 is Maurice Horan.
The former Mayo and Limerick senior footballer is to become a senior selector and manager of the county under-21 side. Horan transferred to Monaleen in 2004 from his native Ballinrobe.
As manager of the county under-21 side Maurice Horan will be joined by selectors Niall Crowley (Adare) and John Ryan (Oola).
Jerome O’Connell
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