Cribben sole nominee for Laois position

The Clane player-manager Tom Cribben seems certain to be officially declared as the new Laois manager at a meeting of the county board next Monday night.

Delegates from the executive and county boards met yesterday and it was agreed that the Portarlington native would be the sole nominee.

He will be taking on a post which has left out-going manager Michael Dempsey "disillusioned" with the state of Laois football, according to a statement he released on Tuesday.

Dempsey, who managed the team through last year's league and championship, had been one of several individuals linked with the post. However, in a written statement, he was extremely critical of the way the Laois County Board handled his application and he offered a pessimistic assessment of the immediate future for the county football squad.

Dismissing the relevance of the "sham interview" which took place in relation to the post, Dempsey maintained that there is "a system in place aided by officials which presents difficulties for players and supporters," adding that flaws in the system would lessen player support.

"What should be developed is clouded by internal strife, jockeying for positions and politics," he continued, warning that unless senior players could see clear signs of progression, Laois would "always have problems."

The appointment of Cribben is seen as something of a surprise by many local observers, given that his management pedigree is limited to club competition. However, he did guide Clane to the Leinster final as player-manager where they were defeated by Erins Isle. Resident in Clane, he has commercial interests in Portlaoise.

Meanwhile, Leinster's Railway Cup hurling manager, Tom Neville, has defended the worth of the competition but agrees that the format needs a radical overhaul.

"It is dodgy as it stands, particularly from a spectator point of view. But the majority of the players are still extremely keen. I mean, players like Brian Whelehan and Willie O'Connor have always expressed their interest in playing Railway Cup," he said.

The Leinster squad met informally on Tuesday night to get acquainted with each other ahead of Sunday's match against Munster. Although Neville and his co-selectors, Joachim Kelly and Eddie Kehir, have cobbled a strong XV together, a number of prominent Offaly players are absent due to their county championship final.

"Obviously, they are a loss, but fortunately this year, we were able to draw on many quality players, unlike last year which was a disaster for many reasons. But it highlights what the competition needs. I think that a guaranteed free weekend - with no other Gaelic events - along with some worthwhile sponsorship, would set the thing in motion," he commented.

He advocated the idea of nominating All-Stars purely from players selected to play in the Railway Cup and that a trip be awarded to the All-Star selections and to the winning Railway Cup teams.

Leinster (SH v Munster): S Byrne (Offaly); S Whelehan (Offaly), J Errity Offaly), W O'Connor (Kilkenny); L Walsh (Kilkenny), B Whelehan (Offaly), L Keoghan (Kilkenny); L O'Gorman (Wexford), A Fenlon (Wexford); D Cuddy (Laois), M Storey (Wexford), B McEvoy (Kilkenny); P Codd (Wexford), J Troy (Offaly), C Carter (Kilkenny). Substitutes: D Fitzhenry (Wexford), S Power (Dublin), P Cuddy (Laois), K Martin (Offaly), M Kavanagh (Kilkenny), P Larkin (Kilkenny), P Barry (Kilkenny), R McCarthy (Wexford), N Maloney (Kilkenny), A Comerford (Kilkenny).