More unrest in Meath as King elects to quit panel

CAOIMHÍN KING has reportedly left the Meath football panel after being overlooked for selection.

Manager Séamus McEnaney was unavailable for comment yesterday, but it appears King walked away from the set-up after being an unused substitute in last Sunday’s 0-16 to 0-11 victory over Wicklow at Dr Cullen Park.

King, a versatile wing back who was even employed in the forwards last season, has been a regular in the Meath side since 2005 but wasn’t one of the 20 players McEnaney used in the Leinster first round tie.

After a tumultuous spring that included relegation to Division Three of the National League and the subsequent attempted removal of McEnaney by the county executive, the impression given last weekend was Meath football had turned a corner.

The Wicklow result sets up a quarter-final against Carlow on June 10th, but on-field matters have again been overshadowed by reports that King has quit the camp.

In April McEnaney survived a move by county board chairman Barney Allen to seek a two-thirds majority to replace him with Seán Boylan. The secret ballot came back 43-31 in favour of his removal, six votes shy of the necessary majority, so Boylan could not be installed as manager for what would have been a 24th season.

Elsewhere, it’s been confirmed Seán Cavanagh’s season is over and he will play no part in Tyrone’s push for championship honours in 2012.

Cavanagh has suffered an injury similar to that which kept him out of action for six months in the latter part of last year, a detached shoulder tendon.

“Unfortunately the latest is not good. It’s a similar injury to what he got last year, only on the other side, and it looks like a season injury again,” said manager Mickey Harte after hearing the results of a scan which Cavanagh underwent earlier in the day.

“We’re really disappointed for him, we’re all devastated, but that’s where it’s at, and we have to live with that.”

Harte revealed he has been in touch with one of the players who retired prior to the beginning of this season with a view to him stepping back in to address a crisis which has seen four attackers ruled out by injury.

He refused to identify the player in question, but confirmed it was not Brian Dooher.

“There’s nothing confirmed yet, but certainly it’s not out of the question,” he said. “There has been some contact made . . . but it is a possibility and it may happen or it may not. It will depend really on the person involved, whether they commit to it or not.”

Harte added: “ I can’t name anybody until we see if it actually comes to fruition. It’s not Brian Dooher, Brian’s injured and can’t even play for his club at the minute.”

Harte added the injury crisis offered an opportunity to other players to challenge for a place in the team to face Armagh on Sunday week.

“It’s four quality players who are not there that we had at the start of the season, and that’s bound to take its toll.

“But then again, it’s a challenge to everybody else to say ‘there’s an opportunity there that may not have been there. So now, who’s going to seize it?’”

OFFALY(SHC v Wexford): J Dempsey; D Morkan, D Kenny (c), D Franks; D Horan, R Hanniffy, J Rigney; C Mahon, K Brady; J Bergin, C Egan, B Murphy, S Dooley, C Parlon, B Carroll.