Cork board meet on player threat

Cork's county executive met last night to consider the situation after yesterday's revelation that the Cork senior football and hurling panels would be withdrawing from intercounty activity in the dispute over the decision to withhold the right of county managers to name their selectors.

There is a growing feeling within the county that some form of dialogue is needed to resolve the situation, which threatens to leave Cork without senior intercounty representation when the season starts next month.

There is, however, no certainty peace talks will take place given that recent events have left virtually no room for manoeuvre. With the players having threatened a walkout from the very start of the dispute, and the county board having gone ahead and appointed a football manager, Teddy Holland, and last week his team of selectors, there has been little sign of compromise.

News that around 50 players had gathered at the weekend and endorsed a withdrawal from intercounty activity appeared to be the ultimate deterioration of the dispute, but there are indications that there might be some attempt at breaking the impasse.

An unnamed player's spokesperson talking to John Horgan in yesterday's Evening Echosaid of the weekend's meeting - at which the hurlers and footballers met in separate session as well as together: "We are one unit going forward and we want to send out a clear message that dialogue is needed to sort this problem out."

Although the county board say they have received no approach, two senior officials have privately backed the idea of talks.

"At the end of the day there's going to have to be compromise," said one.

"People need to sit down and talk it out. Both sides need to give the other some wriggle room."

Another said: "Sooner or later these things get sorted out by talking and I think a meeting between players and the county board is necessary."

The most obvious difficulty is that the new football management have been appointed and are unlikely to be asked to stand down.

Already a challenge match has been called off, although the withdrawal of players wasn't scheduled until the new season and the hurlers have asked not to be involved in training until the matter is resolved.

Meanwhile, the Leinster council is to investigate an assault on Wexford referee Syl Doyle after Sunday's provincial club football semi-final between Moorefield and Tyrrellspass.

Doyle was attacked allegedly by a Moorefield supporter.

"We are taking this matter very seriously," said Leinster chief executive Michael Delaney, "and the CCC will kick in as soon as we get the referee's report. All that we know is that the person in question who hit the referee and another official was said to be wearing Moorefield colours. This increasing tendency to threaten match officials has to be dealt with. The verbals we've always had, but this is becoming too frequent."

Elsewhere, outgoing Kerry chair Seán Walsh has backed the Burnout Task Force proposal to replace minor and under-21 intercounty grades with an under-19 level,although he acknowledges that the old system has served his county well.

Speaking in his final address after 10 years as chair, Walsh said: "The argument for change is that it will protect the good player, the elite player, and the player who spends two years as a minor, three years at under-21 in constant training and probably the last two years of his under-21 campaign on the senior team panel.

"You might think that this is impossible, but my reason for saying this is that we currently have five members of the Kerry panel that fit into this category, and by the time they have finished their under-21 campaign they will have trained under four county managers.

This is one of the main reasons why I believe that the under-19 competition could help and probably should be tried for the two year trial period that has been suggested."

Mayo senior footballer Ronan McGarrity, who fought a successful battle against testicular cancer during the summer of 2007, has ended a turbulent year on a high note.

Along with Carnacon's Cora Staunton, he has just been named joint winner of the Connacht GAA Writers Personality of the Month for November.

McGarrity led Ballina Stephenites to their Mayo senior championship triumph, and was inspirational in their November wins over Tourlestrane and St Brigid's to add the Connacht title.

Free-scoring Staunton was once again superb as Carnacon captured the All-Ireland women's football title in some style.