Clare board say there is no crisis

Hurling Trouble in Clare:The Clare County Board have distanced themselves from the growing rumblings surrounding the senior hurling management and certain key players.

As the stand-off continues between manager Tony Considine and goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald there are doubts about the future involvement of selector Ger Ward and forward Tony Carmody, while other relationships seem to be going from bad to worse.

Neither Ward nor Carmody travelled to Clare's opening National League game, against Down, last Sunday. Ward reportedly had work commitments while Carmody was reportedly sick, although there have also been suggestions of an element of disillusionment over Considine's handling of recent events.

As well as the failure to resolve Fitzgerald's self-imposed exile, team trainer Dave Mahedy stepped down earlier this month, citing work commitments with the University of Limerick.

Considine, however, initially denied any knowledge of such intentions, which suggested at least some difference of opinion.

Since then it has emerged that a brief confrontation ensued between Considine and team sponsor Pat O'Donnell, after O'Donnell was asked to leave the dressingroom before Clare's first outing in the Waterford Crystal league. Two younger players - Cathal Lafferty and Brian Shally - also left the panel in recent weeks, Lafferty because of a conflict over study commitments and Shally reportedly after being told to train through illness.

"The county board has full confidence in Tony Considine," said county press officer Des Crowe. "Of course we are aware of some of the stories floating around at the moment and while it's often said there is no smoke without fire, there are two sides to every story as well.

"But as far as the county board are concerned these issues are up to the manager to sort out. But we don't see any crisis. We have a very capable county chairman and secretary and if there was a crisis there we wouldn't be sitting back. But we have no meetings planned for this week. In fact, we're more concerned this week about the football squad, who have a big match on Sunday against Roscommon."

Part of the problem is that Considine has refused to comment publicly on any of the controversies. Ward was brought in as one of Considine's selectors along with Pat O'Connor, Tim Crowe and Ciarán O'Neill, but for now it remains to be seen whether he will continue in that role.

O'Connor, who also manages All-Ireland club finalists Loughrea, was also absent for the trip to Down although it is known he is recovering from a back operation.

Meanwhile, GAA president Nickey Brennan and director general Liam Mulvihill yesterday unveiled a new headstone on the grave of its first president and co-founder, Maurice Davin. The ceremony took place in Churchtown cemetery near Kilsheelan village in Tipperary, with GAA patron Dr Dermot Clifford, the Archbishop of Cashel, also present.

The headstone was erected as part of a refurbishment at the resting place of Davin, who was also recognised when the new Canal End Stand in Croke Park was recently renamed in his honour. Davin came from Deerpark, near Carrick-on-Suir, and was noted as an outstanding international athlete in his youth and held the world record for the hammer throw.

He actively campaigned for a body to control Irish athletics and, like Michael Cusack, was particularly concerned that social circumstances excluded the vast majority of Irish people from participating in athletics.

He gave his support to Cusack's campaign for the founding of the GAA and presided at the initial meeting in Thurles. Davin died in 1927 and remains the only president to have served two terms.