Galway county committee officials will appoint a mediator to intervene in the county’s hurling crisis which they hope will bring an end to the stand-off between Anthony Cunningham, the manager, and his disaffected players.
A stalemate has prevailed since it became known that the majority of Cunningham’s players opposed his reappointment for a fifth term, which preceded a four-man delegation that included David Collins, the team captain, Andy Smith, the vice-captain, Joe Canning and David Burke informing Cunningham of the squad’s vote of no confidence in his leadership.
Cunningham, however, has stood firm, prompting Galway GAA’s management committee to meet on Wednesday evening when they decided for mediation.
A statement issued yesterday by John Hynes, the Galway secretary, read: “The committee is cognisant of the views of both sides and wishes to ensure that Galway has a cohesive and harmonious panel for 2016, based on the positive progress and achievements of the past year. Accordingly, the committee has decided to seek an independent mediator in order to resolve this impasse. The Galway GAA management committee will do all in its power to bring this matter to a positive conclusion, as quickly as possible.”
Mediation has been used before in a similar row, in Cork, with Kieran Mulvey, the then Labour Relations Commissioner, intervening during the 2007/2008 strike crisis.
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Meanwhile, Clare have received a timely boost with the news that Podge Collins, their 2013 All-Ireland medallist and AllStar winner, intends to return to their hurling team next season.
Collins didn’t play hurling in 2015 after revealing that he was presented with an ultimatum to choose football or hurling by Davy Fitzgerald, the hurling manager, after balancing both codes in 2014. The forward’s response was to opt for the county’s football side which is managed by Colm Collins, his father.
However a report in the Clare Champion newspaper outlined how Fitzgerald has now agreed to accommodate Collins’ dual wishes next year. Complicating the situation, however, is the fact that Collins has to recover from a cruciate knee ligament injury which he sustained in May.
Elsewhere, Eamonn Kelly, the new Offaly hurling manager, who guided Kerry to this year’s Christy Ring Cup title, has drawn up a list of potential players and intends convening them for training next month.
However, he conceded that after a couple of seasons which have ultimately seen Offaly slip into the Leinster qualifier series, he is unsure if the players will respond with enthusiasm to the prospect of playing again in 2016.
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“I don’t know what the players are going to say. It could be, ‘yeah, I’m up for the fight’ or ‘no, I’ve had enough’,” Kelly said.
“If you talk to anyone who was with me in the past, they will vouch for the fact that I will try everything in my power to get the best out of the squad but if players don’t want to come with you, you have to get alternative ones who do.
“It will be difficult to convince men to come with you because Brian Whelahan (Kelly’s predecessor) is a legend in hurling. All I can do is try and keep things as professional as I can and hope these guys buy in to it.”
Kelly, however, said he would be willing to accommodate any dual players who wish to play for both county teams in 2016 which would appeal to Shane Dooley and Daniel Currams, talented hurlers who are also noted footballers.
“I’d certainly love to accommodate dual players if we can but it’s quite difficult,” Kelly said. “The commitment that’s required now at the top level is considerable which is why there aren’t many dual players across the country anymore. You saw what happened with Aidan Walsh in Cork (who gave up football). It is very difficult to juggle both.”
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Kelly enjoyed relative success with Kerry earlier this year, securing promotion to Division 1B of the Allianz hurling league and elevating them to MacCarthy Cup proper status after that Ring Cup win and given how they will now be accommodated in the Leinster qualifier series of games next year, they ironically will meet Offaly at some stage. Kelly, however, said that won’t be a problem.
“You’re always going to be second fiddle in Kerry, it’s a football county,” he said. “We had a very small pick. I don’t think we ever had our full panel between guys being injured and fellas not making themselves available, the club scene is huge down there.
“But the people who are hurling people are very passionate. Geographically this job suits me better.”
However, Brendan Cummins, the former Tipperary goalkeeper, who worked with Kelly in Kerry won’t be part of his backroom team in Offaly.