All eight walked away in protest following Justin McCarthy’s decision to drop 12 players from his 2009 panel citing disciplinary reasons for that cull.
This latest development follows Thursday night’s County Board meeting in Claughaun when club delegates passed a vote of confidence in Justin McCarthy’s management team - the delegates and the executive officers of the County Board voted by 70-54 (secret ballot) in favour of retaining the management team of Justin McCarthy, Brian Ryan and Liam Garvey.
Those attending that meeting were clear in the knowledge that the vote would mean that many of the county’s top hurlers would not be making themselves available for 2010 if the current management remained in place.
After the result was made known the chairman, Liam Lenihan, made a brief statement: “It is very important that we all accept the decision and go forward together”.
When the eagerly-awaited meeting commenced chairman Liam Lenihan proposed a vote of confidence.
“Having discussed the matter at a management meeting of the County Board we as a management committee are recommending to the county committee that the senior hurling management team appointed in 2008 for two years be allowed to complete their term,” explained Lenihan.
The proposal was backed by Limerick GAA treasurer Owen Hayes and Timmy O’Connor of Na Piarsaigh.
“It would be very easy to do the sneaky thing and wait for someone to propose a vote of no confidence and that would take a two-third majority to remove them, but we are proposing a vote of confidence which requires just a simple majority.”
Most of the club delegates were present two weeks earlier at the first special County Board meeting in Ballyagran when the hurling management addressed the meeting.
However only the delegates of the respective clubs of the players were present when the players addressed a meeting in Claughaun on December 13.
“Unfortunately the players would not agree to sit down and talk to the senior hurling management or neither would they agree to a mediator,” said the chairman.
“We have to decide for once and for all who is running the county,” he said.
“Unfortunately in Limerick we have had too many managers - from 2003 to 2009 we have had five and in my own personal opinion we cannot continue down that road.
“We have got to lay down a marker for once and for all, what direction do we want the county to go.”
Timmy O’Connor (Na Piarsaigh) spoke passionately at the meeting: “Let’s call a spade a spade - there are high profile players that seem to be leading this. It saddens me that the pressure the younger players are been put under by certain individuals”.
However Ahane’s Donal Morrissey had a clever analogy: “The performance of the players throughout last year is not a reflection of the players, but a reflection of the management team. If an entire class fail their exams, is that a reflection of the class or the teacher,” he said.
He reported from the meeting with the players that “there are no circumstances under any conditions that the players will play under any of the present management - that is the clear message that the players sent. There is a complete breakdown of confidence and trust and communication - vital ingredients in any set-up,” added Morrissey.
“The decision we are making is not to get rid of Justin McCarthy or not - I am all in favour of making a stand, but you make a stand when you know you are going to win the war. We are making a stand tonight to win a battle, but we are not making any stand to win a war. If we go out of here tonight and retain Justin McCarthy, we are going to be playing division two hurling next year. If the top table know something that I don’t know I’d really like to hear it. If someone can tell me that the retention of Justin McCarthy and proceeding in the absence of the players who left the panel and who were dropped will lead Limerick hurling to a better place in five years time then someone knows something that I don’t know.”
JEROME O’CONNELL
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