NEWS ROUND-UP:JOHN ALLEN has stamped his mark on the Limerick hurling panel ahead of next year by dropping nine established players.
Stephen Lucey, Donie Ryan, Damien Reale, Paudie O’Brien, Eoin Ryan, Brian Murray, Paudie McNamara, Pat Tobin and Ciarán O’Rourke have been excluded from the off-season winter training plan.
Allen was ratified this month as successor to fellow Cork man Donal O’Grady, who served just one year.
He also followed O’Grady as Cork hurling manager back in 2004.
O’Grady guided Limerick to the Division Two title this year only to lose to Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Elsewhere, Cork dual player Aidan Walsh yesterday saw off stiff competition to be named the Bord Gáis Energy breakthrough hurler of the year.
The seven-man shortlist included All-Ireland under-21 winning Galway trio Niall O’Donoghue, Niall Burke and Barry Daly.
Dublin’s Liam Rushe was another strong contender along with Limerick pair Shane Dowling and Declan Hannon.
But it was Walsh’s eight-point return from play in the Under-21 Munster final defeat to Limerick that appears to have secured the €1,000 voucher prize.
Last year Walsh was named young footballer of the year.
“The quality and skill on show meant that it was going to be very tough to single out one player,” said Ger Cunningham, the former Cork goalkeeper and a member of the selection panel, along with RTÉ’s Marty Morrissey, TG4 Micheál Ó Domhnaill, Joe Canning and Ken McGrath.
“However, Aidan was immense for Cork in their Munster championship campaign.
“His performance in the Munster final was one of the best individual performances I have ever witnessed.”
Finally, Kerry County Board chairman Jerome Conway announced he will step down at convention in Killarney on December 12th, having served four of the five years allowed.
“I am looking ahead and I see that nine of the top table will have to vacate their positions next year under the five-year rule and that is too big a clear-out in terms of experience and continuity.”
