I’ve been thinking about what I was going to write in this for a few days so here goes nothing.
Cork hurling has been in turmoil since 2002. Ok it was not obvious between ’03 & ’06 as our hurlers reached 4 Munster & 4 All Ireland Finals, winning 5 of those 8 games. However since these very players were brave enough to put their careers on the line in ‘02 to get what they believed was needed to compete for honours, a revenge mission has been planted within Cork GAA. This was further compounded by the players being proved 100% correct in their demands if results are the barometer on which we judge. The power had been shifted & some were not happy.
When John Allen retired from his position in ’06 the CCB decided to take the 1st swipe. In ’04 after Donal O’Grady stepped down, the CCB had to thread very carefully. Cork had just won the All-Ireland and why fix something that isn’t broken? By choosing Allen as coach, it kept the continuity with the players & the change was barely noticed. The success followed for the majority of the next 2 years, 3 out of 4 finals were won & Cork were regarded as the finest team in Ireland. This was despite many critics of their unusual style which was one traditionalists did not give full support to.
The critics had the last laugh in September 2006 when Kilkenny found a way to stop Cork’s running game and denied them the 3-in-a-row. Cork were no longer hurling’s leading lights & Allen’s 2 year term was up. He decision to call it a day left the CCB an opportunity to appoint their own man, free from the pressure of not tampering with a successful system.
Gerald McCarthy’s appointment was a surprise but wasn’t the real issue that winter. The treatment of 2 outgoing selectors, Ger Cunningham and Patsy Morrissey was frowned upon by many. Both had declared interest in the coaches job, both had been involved during the previous 4 years and most importantly the respect of the players was something these men could count on. Despite all of those merits adding up in their favour neither of them were even interviewed for the post.
Now I’m not going to go into the highs & lows of the last 2 seasons on the hurling field. Also we all know what occurred last year with the CCB’s attempts to have power to appoint selectors as well as coaches. Everyone has their opinions on the rights & the wrongs. I wrote the above to outline where the trouble brewed from. Even the dogs on the street could point out the issues since October 2007.
My motive is simple. Club delegates have been castigated by many over the last 2 winters. I believe this to be a little unfair in many ways. However the CCB’s disrespect of these club officials has been nothing short of a disgrace. Delegates were lied to last October when Gerald McCarthy was being ratified for another 2 year term. 2 men stood up & asked what the players view was. The 1st was ignored and the 2nd was told it was a unanimous decision by the 7 man committee. After they gave their support following those words the news leaked that the players were not happy with the process. Many readers & posters here have had family members travel up to Pairc Ui Chiamh on a Tuesday night over the years, myself included. I don’t take any pleasure from seeing these people have to listen to the abuse that’s thrown their way. I feel its time to act.
So if our CCB has no respect for our best hurlers, the club delegates who facilitate their ideas & processes and most of all show little or no regard for the genuine supporters within our great county then I plead for a few little things.
- Everyone who is a regular attendee of Cork hurling matches to refrain from supporting the CCB through gate receipts.
- Those who purchase County Board Draw tickets every year cancel their subscriptions. If you are not a member of your club put the money towards joining in order to still have the same financial effect, considering a club makes €45 from the tickets they sell. With €55 going directly to the CCB I do not see the value when clubs are disrespected through their delegates. Some clubs have their own draws instead along similar lines but with the majority of profits being fed back into its operations. If you are a member then why not suggest an alternative form of generating income.
- Finally I plead with you to stay away from as many matches as possible which are run by the CCB that require an entry fee. While I don’t expect anyone to abandon their own club, I’d urge people to avoid going to see the big matches where you are neutral.
I believe the only way to hurt the CCB is through our pockets. Lets keep our money away from their accounts as much as we can.
Thanks for your time.
Cork hurling has been in turmoil since 2002. Ok it was not obvious between ’03 & ’06 as our hurlers reached 4 Munster & 4 All Ireland Finals, winning 5 of those 8 games. However since these very players were brave enough to put their careers on the line in ‘02 to get what they believed was needed to compete for honours, a revenge mission has been planted within Cork GAA. This was further compounded by the players being proved 100% correct in their demands if results are the barometer on which we judge. The power had been shifted & some were not happy.
When John Allen retired from his position in ’06 the CCB decided to take the 1st swipe. In ’04 after Donal O’Grady stepped down, the CCB had to thread very carefully. Cork had just won the All-Ireland and why fix something that isn’t broken? By choosing Allen as coach, it kept the continuity with the players & the change was barely noticed. The success followed for the majority of the next 2 years, 3 out of 4 finals were won & Cork were regarded as the finest team in Ireland. This was despite many critics of their unusual style which was one traditionalists did not give full support to.
The critics had the last laugh in September 2006 when Kilkenny found a way to stop Cork’s running game and denied them the 3-in-a-row. Cork were no longer hurling’s leading lights & Allen’s 2 year term was up. He decision to call it a day left the CCB an opportunity to appoint their own man, free from the pressure of not tampering with a successful system.
Gerald McCarthy’s appointment was a surprise but wasn’t the real issue that winter. The treatment of 2 outgoing selectors, Ger Cunningham and Patsy Morrissey was frowned upon by many. Both had declared interest in the coaches job, both had been involved during the previous 4 years and most importantly the respect of the players was something these men could count on. Despite all of those merits adding up in their favour neither of them were even interviewed for the post.
Now I’m not going to go into the highs & lows of the last 2 seasons on the hurling field. Also we all know what occurred last year with the CCB’s attempts to have power to appoint selectors as well as coaches. Everyone has their opinions on the rights & the wrongs. I wrote the above to outline where the trouble brewed from. Even the dogs on the street could point out the issues since October 2007.
My motive is simple. Club delegates have been castigated by many over the last 2 winters. I believe this to be a little unfair in many ways. However the CCB’s disrespect of these club officials has been nothing short of a disgrace. Delegates were lied to last October when Gerald McCarthy was being ratified for another 2 year term. 2 men stood up & asked what the players view was. The 1st was ignored and the 2nd was told it was a unanimous decision by the 7 man committee. After they gave their support following those words the news leaked that the players were not happy with the process. Many readers & posters here have had family members travel up to Pairc Ui Chiamh on a Tuesday night over the years, myself included. I don’t take any pleasure from seeing these people have to listen to the abuse that’s thrown their way. I feel its time to act.
So if our CCB has no respect for our best hurlers, the club delegates who facilitate their ideas & processes and most of all show little or no regard for the genuine supporters within our great county then I plead for a few little things.
- Everyone who is a regular attendee of Cork hurling matches to refrain from supporting the CCB through gate receipts.
- Those who purchase County Board Draw tickets every year cancel their subscriptions. If you are not a member of your club put the money towards joining in order to still have the same financial effect, considering a club makes €45 from the tickets they sell. With €55 going directly to the CCB I do not see the value when clubs are disrespected through their delegates. Some clubs have their own draws instead along similar lines but with the majority of profits being fed back into its operations. If you are a member then why not suggest an alternative form of generating income.
- Finally I plead with you to stay away from as many matches as possible which are run by the CCB that require an entry fee. While I don’t expect anyone to abandon their own club, I’d urge people to avoid going to see the big matches where you are neutral.
I believe the only way to hurt the CCB is through our pockets. Lets keep our money away from their accounts as much as we can.
Thanks for your time.
