Twomey has open mind in Wexford

GAA: Dom Twomey's first competitive campaign as an intercounty manager ended at the weekend with Wexford's defeat by Longford in the O'Byrne Cup semi-final. As he looks forward to the coming league campaign, Twomey - from Kilmacud Crokes in Dublin - must come to terms with a dual player issue quite different to that he encountered as a Dublin selector for four years.

Then the gravitational pull was towards the footballers. In Wexford, although football has quite a robust existence (and nearly as many All-Irelands), there's no mistaking which code is the lodestar even if - as he maintains - "the gap is narrowing".

Despite the ruthless attitude of successive Dublin football managements to dual players, Twomey says that he has never held dogmatic views on the issue.

"I'm not one of those who buy into the idea that the dual player can't exist," he says. "I think DJ Carey's comeback last summer with Kilkenny showed that you can over-emphasise the physical factor in today's games. So I don't believe players have to be training with you all year."

Wexford is one of the biggest dual counties in the GAA and doesn't divide along geographical lines like many others, so a lot of players both hurl and play football. As is generally the case, the most talented footballers are often good hurlers.

When he took over Twomey was aware of this but remains optimistic that he can work within the constraints.

"We're hopeful, but I've only half an input into the process, although there's ongoing contact with John Conran. Hopefully we can keep all doors open."

There is space in the schedules to accommodate determined dual players. As the O'Byrne Cup ends the Walsh Cup for the hurlers starts up next weekend, and this complementary state of affairs continues for a while.

"During the leagues there are very few clashes, and even the championship works out well," says Twomey. "We're starting in early May and the hurlers aren't out for another month. I hope that we can work out a compromise if necessary - something like John O'Mahony was working in Galway. I'd be hopeful we can do certain things together. Last Saturday we (the football panel) were all invited to a reception organised for the hurlers."

He also points out that not that many players are centrally concerned, although established hurlers like Damien Fitzhenry, David O'Connor and Rory McCarthy are all good footballers.

"So far no doors have been closed and an indication of that was Rory Mallon's availability to play on Sunday. He was a first-team player with the hurlers last year but he's about the only one involved at the moment."

Anyway he'll be naming a panel for the league quite soon and it will, of course, be open-ended.