Gerald McCarthy today issued his response to the latest players' statement and accused members of the hurling panel of feeding misinformation to the media. Acknowledging the issue is now becoming a "huge bore", McCarthy again insisted he will not be pushed aside by the players.
With the debacle being played out under the full glare of the media spotlight - Cork captain John Gardiner appeared on RTE's Primetime last night to defend the players' position - McCarthy's latest missive is hardly an exercise in bridge building.
Instead, he calls on the players "driving the issue" to accept responsibility for their roles and stop portraying themselves as "victims".
Cork are due to play St Colman's College in a fortnight to mark the college's anniversary but it appears increasingly unlikely that match will take place as both sides seem intent on digging in for the long haul.
"The tone of the players statement says it all, really," McCarthy said today. "The county board is wrong, Gerald McCarthy is wrong but the players are never wrong. They have no responsibilities in all of this. This is just rubbish.
"The players have to take responsibility for their role in this and it can't go on. They really should stop portraying themselves as victims of some grand conspiracy against them and get back to playing hurling for Cork. My door is always open to achieve that result."
Earlier today, Cork chairman Mick Dolan insisted McCarthy's reappointment had been above board and expressed his dismay that the players seemed intent on "going for broke".
Dolan was adamant that McCarthy remains the right man for the job and the entire appointment process was both fair and transparent.
"The board entered into a process to select the manager of the county team in good faith, under terms agreed during the last 'crisis'. I am satisfied that we carried out our part of that bargain properly," he said. "The players now seem to be asking us to overturn the outcome of a process that they agreed to participate in.
"It is a pity that the players go for broke in situations like this and demand a head or else threaten to walk away from playing for Cork. It is not the way to do business and only makes a solution to these difficulties all the more difficult to achieve."
Full Statement from Gerald McCarthy
"For those not directly involved, and for many of us who are, this is becoming a huge bore.
"I have been asked by various media to comment on the Cork players' statement. At this point, I have no intention of doing so, other than to say that each of the points raised by the players can be fully challenged by me.
"But in an attempt to end, for the moment, media calls to me and disruption to my life and business, I will respond in this way. The tone of the players statement says it all, really. The county board is wrong, Gerald McCarthy is wrong but the players are never wrong. They have no responsibilities in all of this. This is just rubbish.
"It would be helpful if those players who are driving this issue were honest enough to acknowledge that the first time this appeared in the media arose when players anonymously fed misinformation directed against me to a number of journalists. That behaviour is fine, apparently. Yet when I defend myself in the media, this small group of players cries "foul". That speaks volumes. If I am attacked as a person or as a coach, I will defend myself.
"If there was a difficulty with coaching then it should have been dealt with as a coaching issue. The players themselves will acknowledge that I am quite open to talk about coaching methods.
"From the time of Cork's last game against Kilkenny, no player ever approached me to discuss my coaching. At no time during the period of the meetings on the appointment of the manager, did any player or player representative come to me to talk about issues with my coaching. Yet when I was appointed, I was asked to stand down. I am not going to do that.
"The great pity of all of this is that a number of interesting coaching team appointments which were to be announced by me are now on hold. Also, proposals that I wished to submit to the Cork county board on the establishment of an academy, a centre of excellence, to radically transform coaching in Cork, to address the challenges we now have as a hurling power, to stop the attrition of talented young players, to support the clubs and to create a community of hurlers between young and former players, are now also on hold.
"There is a really exciting time ahead for young Cork players, I am full of admiration for those who had the courage to speak up for their right to play for Cork at recent players meetings and I hope they stick with it.
"So much of my time - hurling time - for the past few years, has been devoted to 'conflict resolution'. The players have to take responsibility for their role in this and it can't go on. They really should stop portraying themselves as victims of some grand conspiracy against them and get back to playing hurling for Cork. My door is always open to achieve that result."