The news comes on the back of the withdrawal of former captain Damien Reale in protest over the wholesale changes to Justin McCarthy’s inter-county panel.
Last week Justin McCarthy dropped over 35 per cent of the panel which suffered a crushing 24-point to Tipperary in August’s All-Ireland semi-final in Croke Park. Among the 12 players gone from the 2009 panel are Stephen Lucey, Mark O’Riordan, Niall Moran, Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Donie Ryan and Mike O’Brien.
At the heart of the latest drama to surround Limerick hurling is a lack of communication. This has forced Limerick GAA chairman Liam Lenihan to issue an apology to the omitted hurlers. It is understood that the chairman is also to meet with a number of the omitted hurlers and others who have raised concerns.
“On behave of the County Board I apologise if the players were offended in any way,” said Lenihan.
“If we caused any hurt to any player, I would say sorry”.
The chairman said that the hurling management did not communicate with the omitted players as a series of trials are to take place for fringe players and those omitted could yet to included in the final panel, if no new talent is unearthed.
“I know the effort all players make for the county team and I apologise for any hurt caused to them,” explained the county chairman.
When the Limerick hurling management reassembled the 2009 panel last Wednesday night last for a team meeting in the Kilmurry Lodge Hotel it became apparent that up to 12 players were missing. The same players were also absent when a trial game took place on Friday night in the grounds of Staker Wallace.
Those present at the meeting had received a text message to attend, but others got no communication from management and assumed they had been dropped.
On Friday morning, their suspicions were confirmed when Justin McCarthy was quoted in The Irish Examiner newspaper.
“I am sure that many teams will be making changes and we are no different in Limerick. The time has come to bring in some new blood and give them a go at inter-county level. The mind-set to survive at this level has to be right and we have to change that,” said McCarthy.
Recently retired Ollie Moran has jumped to the defence of his former colleagues: “I’m seething and shocked at the insinuation in there that those guys lacked commitment.
“To infer now that they were lacking in commitment to Limerick, that they were somehow dishonest, distracted, broke a code of discipline really rankles.
“The way they found out is annoying as well. Fellas who have given years of service to Limerick didn’t even get the courtesy of a phone call.
“If they were told ‘You’re being dropped, this is why, this is what you need to do to get back’... but they got nothing. Instead text messages were sent to the guys who were being kept on, that’s how it was done. It was shameful. Then again, I’m not surprised, communication wasn’t a strong point with this management.”
Jerome O’Connell
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