Gaelic Games Limerick dual-player row: Limerick football manager Liam Kearns and the six former dual players who last week were told they were no longer part of the hurling squad yesterday spoke out for the first time on the controversy.
Speaking after Limerick's three-point win over Clare in Ennis, Kearns criticised the county board for their handling of the affair. And in a statement issued on behalf of the players by football board PRO John Ryan, the six - Stephen Lucey, Mark Keane, Mark O'Riordan, Mike O'Brien, Conor Fitzgerald and Brian Begley - claimed they had been victimised.
Kearns emphatically denied media reports that he had met in advance with hurling manager Pad Joe Whelahan to discuss dual players. "I've never met the man or spoken to him," said Kearns.
"I sought a meeting two weeks ago and was told that no meeting would be taking place. I then went to the board secretary, James Hartigan, and asked him to set up a meeting and again he got back to me and said no meeting would be taking place."
Kearns further claimed the board was "getting nowhere" and the players were getting ultimatums from hurling management.
"Three of the players involved went to see the secretary to ask, on behalf of the six players, would they intervene as they wanted to play hurling and football. The county board were unable to intervene with the hurling management - it was then announced that the six were no longer part of the panel."
He said he had agreed some months ago to stay for a two-year term on the basis that dual players would be available to him. "I was told the (new) hurling manager would be advised that there was agreement on a dual-player policy. I now have to wonder if that did happen. My agreement was on that basis - that basis no longer exists so I have informed the board that my selectors and myself will be reconsidering our position at the end of the year.
"Everybody in the media seems to be depicting us as the winners. There are no winners here - there are six losers." The players, he added, felt let down by those running GAA in Limerick: "My heart bleeds for them."
Meanwhile, the six accused hurling management of denying them their right to represent their county at both codes and said they felt "deep regret and disappointment".
"We did not opt out of the panel - we were presented with an ultimatum. We could not walk out on the football panel or on Liam Kearns. Kearns has brought football to a new level in Limerick. The situation was very badly handled. There was complete lack of dialogue, compromise, co-operation and common sense. The dual-player policy still stands but is not worth the paper it is written on."
Fortunately, neither the row nor the absence of the six seemed to hamper Limerick's hurlers in their challenge game against Galway at the LIT Grounds yesterday - they won by 6-11 to 2-14.
SCORERS: Limerick: A O'Shaughnessy 2-2, J Meskell 1-2, P Tobin, J Butler, D Ryan 1-1 each, JP Sheehan 0-2, O Moran, C Carey, 0-1 each.Galway: E Cloonan 2-6, A Cullinane 0-2, D Tierney, J Conroy, M Kearns, D Forde, J O'Loughlin, O Fahy 0-1 each.
