GAELIC GAMES:IN THE wake of the player revolt which led to Richie Connor's resignation as Offaly football manager last Sunday, after just three games in charge, the county board last night appointed an interim team headed up by Rhode manager Tom Coffey to take the players through next weekend's National League Division Three encounter against Longford.
Tullamore manager Phil O’Reilly and another well known former player, Vinny Claffey from the Doon club, have been named as Coffey’s selectors.
Coffey was part of the 1997 Leinster title-winning panel, and won a league title in 1998.
All three men have been added to a new, five-man committee to find a permanent replacement for Connor, who stepped down after a number of prominent players refused to play under him.
That drew immediate comparisons to the stand-off in Cork between the hurlers, county executive and manager Gerald McCarthy.
Offaly County Board chairman Pat Teehan and secretary Martin Boland are also on the committee formed at last night’s meeting.
One thing is certain – the various factions in Offaly football are determined not to become as entrenched as in the Cork scenario.
There appears to be an enthusiasm on both sides – players and county board – to stop a public relations war before it accelerates out of control. The county board and Connor released statements on Sunday, criticising the players, while several players aired their grievances, mostly anonymously, in print.
“There has been a week lost in mid-February,” said panel member Ger Rafferty yesterday. “We’re going back training ourselves (last night) and looking forward to playing football again. We normally have a gym session on a Monday night so that’s where we’ll be.
“It’s not up to the players to select a manager. We don’t seek to have a hand in that process. I can’t see us being asked and I wouldn’t want to be involved in selecting a manager.
“The players are united. Richie is gone and we wish him well. We’re not going to start taking pot-shots or getting involved in tit-for-tat stuff. What we want is what’s best for Offaly football, and that’s getting down to some serious training after playing Longford next Sunday.”
Also speaking in conciliatory tones, county board press officer Brendan Minnock added: “Offaly is a small county. We don’t want any lingering bitterness or to engage in a points-scoring process. It’s not something we want.
“Richie Connor is gone and a new interim management has been appointed to get us through the weekend against Longford, at the very least.”
Meanwhile, Tipperary’s Patrick Maher says he expects an understrength Cork to provide a stiff test in Saturday’s floodlit National Hurling League showdown at Semple Stadium.
Maher, who turned 19 only in October, marked his senior competitive debut by playing a large part in Tipperary’s 2-13 to 1-12 league win over Waterford on Sunday.
But Maher feels the second- or third-string Cork will be far from a pushover for Liam Sheedy’s charges in the Division One tie.
“Playing their first serious game was a huge challenge for the Cork lads, as it was a totally new experience for them,” said Maher. “But now with that match under their belt, they will be a much tougher proposition, and so we’re expecting quite a battle on Saturday night.
“By all accounts, Dublin didn’t have it easy against Cork, and, but for conceding a few soft goals, Cork would have been much closer at the final whistle.
“I know that Dublin wouldn’t be classified as a strong hurling county. But I have a number of friends in Dublin who have told me that a lot of money has been put into the development of hurling in the county, and that has certainly yielded dividends with all the success they’ve enjoyed at under-age level.”
