Cork to take trip despite strike action

GAELIC GAMES:Beaten All-Ireland football finalists Cork will still take their team holiday in Argentina and Brazil from December 31st, despite their current strike action over the way the county board has got to nominate the team selectors. Ian O'Riordanreports.

Both the football and hurling panels last night began discussions with the county board in an effort to resolve the dispute, but in the meantime the football panel have insisted their holiday has got nothing to do with the controversy, in that it's largely organised by themselves, and funded by the Croke Park and Munster Council holiday fund, along with the various team sponsors and other fund-raising efforts.

The Cork hurlers, who didn't enjoy quite as successful a season, have deferred a team holiday this year, although team manager Gerald McCarthy is considering a week of warm-weather training as part of the league preparations, provided the strike is called off by then.

Beaten All-Ireland hurling finalists Limerick have chosen their team holiday ahead of a return to competition, opting for two weeks in Florida and Mexico instead of the Waterford Crystal Cup. Their situation highlights the increasing importance being attached to team rewards at this time of the year, at least for the more successful counties.

Despite losing the All-Ireland final to Kilkenny, 2007 was regarded as a largely successful year for Limerick, the highlight being the All-Ireland semi-final win over Waterford. As a result the county board has put together a touring party of 70, which leaves Limerick on December 30th for Florida and then Mexico, returning on January 14th.

Limerick were due to play Cork IT in the first round of the Waterford Crystal Cup, the Munster pre-season hurling tournament, on January 6th, but as a result of the holiday they have withdrawn from the competition. This means Cork IT get a bye into the quarter-finals, where they will face Kerry.

Kilkenny, their conquerors in the All-Ireland hurling final, have an equally rewarding holiday planned from December 29th, when they head first for Thailand, and stop off for several days in Dubai on the way back. Kilkenny's new season formally begins on January 20th with the first round of the Walsh Cup where Antrim, guests in the competition, are their opponents.

All-Ireland football champions Kerry are also rewarded with an attractive holiday package, leaving on December 28th for a two-week break starting in San Francisco, then moving to Hawaii, and also stopping off in Los Angeles on the way back.

Some team holidays have already taken place, with Wexford recently back from Miami, while successful club teams are also finding themselves being rewarded of late, with Clare champions Tulla heading to Spain for a week in the New Year.

Yet the team holiday is not for everyone, and the Dublin footballers, despite winning a third successive Leinster title, continue to defer any such reward until they at least win the All-Ireland outright. In fact, manager Paul Caffrey will be busy putting his early-season panel together over the coming weeks, starting with the annual Blue Stars challenge at the Naomh Mearnog club on December 29th. The Dublin team was announced yesterday, with Shane Ryan, Ross McConnell and Diarmuid Connolly given the chance to show some early form.

The Dublin hurling selection for the similar challenge is interesting in that it includes David O'Callaghan, who opted off the senior football panel during the year and headed to America for most of the summer. Two of this year's Leinster minor winning hurlers, Oisín Gough and Paul Garbutt, are included, with the hurling challenge set for 12.30pm, followed by the football at 2pm.

Finally, Ger Cavlan is a notable absentee from Tyrone's early-season football panel announced yesterday by manager Mickey Harte. Cavlan has been implicated in an investigation into illegal dog-fighting, although Brian McGuigan is included despite his slow recovery from an eye injury. Among the newcomers are Cathal McCarron, Shaun O'Neill and Fabian O'Neill, who will join Dromore team-mates Ryan McMenamin and Colm McCullagh in the squad.