GALWAY hurling has been chit by yet another controversy. Selector Frank Burke, appointed only last October, yesterday tendered his resignation to Phelim Murphy, secretary of the hurling board. In the letter, Burke is said to have given as his reason only the fact that, "things hadn't worked out as he had expected".
It is the third successive year that the selection committee has been the centre of unwelcome attention. Two years ago, Jarlath Cloonan had his two-year tenure cut short after a disappointing All-Ireland championship. Last autumn, his successor, Malt Murphy, appeared to have followed suit - again after an All-Ireland semi-final defeat - only to be recalled.
Murphy then replaced his outgoing selectors, John Connolly and Monty Kerins, with the restored Cloonan and Frank Burke. Burke's appointment was seen as significant, because he was a well-known player in the 1970s and 1980s, and had won an All-Ireland medal on the breakthrough team of 1980.
Last night, the players and management had a scheduled training session and it wasn't clear whether Burke would attend to explain his reasons to the panel. Within the county, there, had been suggestions that Burke's was feeling left out of the selectors' councils.
The team has just returned from a holiday in Tenerife, but not everyone travelled. Among those missing was Burke, who was unavailable for the trip. Malt Murphy refused to discuss the matter, beyond saying that he "didn't see any problem at all" with the manager-selectors relationship.
Further clouds on the horizon concern relations between management and county champions Sarsfields, who play the Munster champions, Sixmilebridge, in the All-Ireland club semi-finals next month. Criticism emerged from Sarsfields over the weekend in relation to the omission of Joe Cooney and Padraig Kelly from the county team which played Clare in the final League match before Christmas.
Speculation as to why Burke may have stepped down also encompasses work commitments with his video company and the difficulty in juggling long-term undertakings with the severe demands of involvement with an intercounty team.
Neither Burke nor hurling secretary Pheilim Murphy could be contacted yesterday to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, Dublin have named an almost unchanged team to face Wexford in Saturday's O'Byrne Cup semi-final in Gorey. Gavin O'Donoghue comes in for Niall Guiden who is automatically suspended after being sent off in last Sunday's quarter-final against Carlow. A Dublin team much depleted by the absence of 38 players on holiday in California, won the match comfortably.
O'Donoghue came on as a substitute in that match and scored a late goal. Joe McNally who was making a return to county colours for the first time in four years suffered a bereavement when his mother died on the day of the match and has been struck by further family loss with the death of his uncle.
Nonetheless, McNally is named at full forward.
