GAELIC GAMES CHAMPIONSHIP 2008:JUSTIN McCARTHY has resigned as Waterford senior hurling manager. The decision emerged at a county executive meeting last night after a day of intense speculation that his tenure was over.

The meeting, which took place after the county's under-21 Munster championship defeat against Limerick at Walsh Park, accepted the decision with regret.

Speaking afterwards county chairman Pat Flynn said that McCarthy's management team of Seamie Hannon, Michael Ryan and Nicky Cashin has also stood down and that the process of finding a new management will begin as soon as possible. The county's next match is in five weeks' time in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

According to a statement issued by McCarthy last night: "Today I informed the chairman of Waterford county board that I intend to step down as manager of the Waterford senior hurling team. I made the decision as I feel I no longer have the full support of all the players on the team.

"I would like to thank the county board for their co- operation and for the support they have always given me, and I wish the players and the new management team every success in the future. I also want to thank the selectors and backroom team and the great loyal supporters who have followed Waterford through thick and thin.

"Over the last seven years Waterford has enjoyed unprecedented success on the hurling field and I am privileged to have been involved with such a great team.

"I regret that my decision to step down has come in the middle of the championship season; however I feel it is the best course of action for everybody involved.

"I will be making no further comment at this time."

No decision has been made on a successor and the county executive indicated that it would but certain names have been speculated on, including former Tipperary All-Ireland winner Colm Bonnar, who served as a selector with McCarthy in the early years.

The decision brings to an end a seven-year term that brought immense success to the county although, frustratingly, not the ultimate breakthrough of an All-Ireland title. He was also responsible for sending out teams that played major parts in some of the most exciting matches of this decade.

McCarthy's departure came days after the unexpected defeat by Clare in last Sunday's opening Munster hurling championship match. Rumours of unhappiness within the camp culminated in last night's outcome.

Word spread quickly yesterday that the players had met on Wednesday night in Tramore after a training session organised by themselves on the local beach.

A number of issues were raised at the meeting, most significantly the management direction of the team and the concerns were then communicated to the county board.

The background to the players' move is last Sunday's poor display in the county's first defence of the Munster title, which ended in heavy defeat by Clare.

There were signs that all was not well in the camp when last season's hurler of the year Dan Shanahan deliberately avoided McCarthy when leaving the field having been substituted in the second half.

After last Sunday's defeat McCarthy responded by looking forward to the rest of the season starting with the county's qualifier against the losers of Antrim-Galway in five weeks' time: "There is hurling to be played in August. We are playing again in five weeks' time which is a good gap. We will regroup and look at ourselves and hopefully our injuries will be cleared up. It won't be an easy road back but a lot of teams will fall by the wayside between now and August."

McCarthy's experience bears some comparison with former Ireland rugby coach Eddie O'Sullivan, who was also appointed for the 2002 season. Both coaches raised the standard of achievement within their respective teams to consistently high levels - three triple crowns against three Munster championships plus one NHL - without reaching the highest level of success in the Six Nations championship or in McCarthy's case the All-Ireland.

Nonetheless for a county that hadn't won anything in the modern era Waterford enjoyed enormous success under McCarthy and on several occasions got within touching distance of an All-Ireland final.

Four times the county lost in the semi-final, against Clare (2002), Kilkenny (2004), Cork (2006) and last year Limerick. This maintained McCarthy's unhappy relationship with Croke Park and semi-finals. In eight visits to the venue as Waterford manager he was successful in only two All-Ireland quarter-finals, last year against Cork and a year previously against Tipperary.

Previous experiences had included All-Ireland semi-final defeats as Cork coach in 1975 and '85 and in the 1982 final as a selector. A lone victory in the 1984 semi-final over Antrim was later offset by a reverse in the All-Ireland club semi-final of 1992, when his Cashel King Cormacs side lost to Kiltormer after an epic three matches.