Dual player issue in Limerick: The Limerick hurling management has agreed an amicable split with players who wish to continue their dual-status into 2004.
The six players - Brian Begley, Stephen Lucey, Mark Keane, Mike O'Brien, Conor Fitzgerald and Mark O'Riordan - opted to commit their services to football alone when presented with an ultimatum by new hurling manager Pad Joe Whelahan. In a statement released yesterday the senior hurling management team, consisting of Whelahan, Declan Nash and Damien Quigley, reiterated their stance against dual players, forcing the hand of those involved.
"A number of players organised to meet, and met, the secretary of the Limerick Board. At the meeting they stated that their preference is to play Gaelic football if the hurling management does not change their stance on the issue.
"The position of the management of the Limerick senior hurling team cannot change on this issue, as we need the full commitment and focus of our panel to prepare for the championship in 2004. We would like to wish the players in question every success in football in the coming year."
It is not the first time the issue has reared its head in Limerick. Former manager Eamonn Cregan resigned over the county board's stance on dual players in March 2002, only to change his mind soon after.
In a statement the Limerick board reiterated their policy supporting the dual-player system. However it added: "The County Management Committee sought to provide a solution in line with dual player policy while understanding the difficulties and challenges that this posed."
Whelahan met the hurling panel on Wednesday night and received a standing ovation from his players. He also appears to have the support of county board chairman Pat Fitzgerald. This Saturday they play a challenge match against Galway.
Begley and Fitzgerald are sure to be missed by the hurling panel but injury rules them out of playing football in the McGrath Cup final against Clare this Sunday.
Liam Kearns has named two of the six, Lucey and O'Riordan, in his starting 15 as the Munster finalists go in search of their first honours of the year. The only other change from the semi-final victory over Waterford sees Johnny Murphy come in at full back.
Injuries have forced Clare to make two changes to the team that beat Tipperary in the semi-final, with Noel Griffin coming in at wing back for Philip Smith and Donal O'Sullivan starting instead of Kilkee's Dave Russell.
Brian Considine is moved to half forward, with O'Sullivan starting at midfield. Manager John Kennedy still has to plan without key attackers David Neylon and Odran O'Dwyer.
Meanwhile, Dave Keane, Whelahan's predecessor as Limerick hurling manager, has taken over as coach to Eire Óg of Nenagh. Keane brought Limerick to a hat-trick of All-Ireland under-21 titles.
Former Clare hurling selector Tony Considine is being lined up to take over as manager of Limerick club Garryspillane. A spokesman for the club said they had opened talks with Considine and were confident he would accept their invitation.
Ulster GAA fans could soon be watching major games under floodlights, according to provincial secretary Danny Murphy.
Murphy attended Wednesday night's floodlit Dr McKenna Cup tie at Carrickmore, and declared the 'experiment' a success. And he suggested that midweek games could become a regular feature of an increasingly congested GAA calendar.
Tyrone defeated UUJ in the first official floodlit fixture sanctioned by the Ulster Council, and the GAA is set to examine options for a nationwide floodlighting programme, under which one major stadium in each province would be developed.
"It was a good test run for the floodlit game, and now the question we have to start asking is: what would be the competitions, what circumstances, and what developments we need to look at in the area of floodlighting," Murphy added.
"I don't think it would be realistic to expect all our main county grounds to be floodlit, so we may have to identify one ground which we would bring up to a very high standard of floodlighting."
LIMERICK (SF v Clare): S O'Donnell, D Burke, J McCarthy, M O'Riordan, P Browne, S Lucey, D Reidy, J Stokes, T Carroll, S Kelly, M Gavin, C Mullane, M Horan, J Murphy, E Keating.
CLARE (SF): D O'Brien, P Gallagher, C Whelan, C Kirwan, N Griffin, D Kelly, R Slattery, D O'Sullivan, G Quinlan, D Russell, A Clohessy, B Considine, J Daly, M O'Shea, K Considine.
OFFALY (SH v Laois): S O'Connor; F Kealey, G Oakley, D Franks; N Claffey, P Whelan, M O'Hara; S Weir, B Teehan; C Gath, N Coughlan, R Hanniffy; K Kelly, R McRedmond, D Murray.
