Lions squad announcement

I am very much looking forward to the Lions announcement this afternoon. News on the BBC yesterday suggests Paul O'Connell will get the nod as captain. I'm delighted for him as he's a natural leader on the pitch and has been unlucky to be on the same team as another leader of his stature, Brian O'Driscoll.There shouldn't be any major surprises in the squad, other than maybe the inclusion of Johnny Wilkinson. Although with his Wasps connections McGeechan may opt for Danny Cipriani.

Of the 36 I'm expecting about a dozen each for Ireland and Wales, 7 or 8 Englishmen and a handful of Scots. Find out if I'm right at 13.30.

Chelsea 4-4 Liverpool

Absolutely gutted.

But what a game...

Cats show superiority

Denis Walsh can be under no illusion about the task ahead of him this year, having seen his Cork team demolished by a well-oiled Kilkenny machine. Walsh knew there was plenty of work to do when he took the job, but a 4-26 to 0-11 trouncing is an indication of how far off the pace this team is.
Having secured Division 1 status it is fair to say that the league campaign can be rated a relative success - or at least not a total failure. With seven weeks to the Munster championship versus Tipp this result should prove a true assessment of the damage done over the past few months. That said Kilkenny are leagues ahead of the rest and Cork could go out and compete with any other team in the competition.
The question is whether they can bridge some of that gap to the Cats, a feat which no other team has been able to do this decade.
Match reports from Tony Considine and Tom Humphries.

Walsh takes over the in Rebel hot seat

Fantastic news in this morning's papers as Denis Walsh is named the new Cork hurling manager. Walsh, seen below in his playing days was a dual star for the Rebels winning All-Ireland medals in both codes (hurling in 1986 & 1990; football in 1989).

I for one, am very excited by the appointment. My early GAA memories revolve around the 1987 -1990 footballers who battled it out with Meath and Mayo for All Ireland football titles and the 1990 hurling team which made it a double for Cork.
The St. Catherine's man was a stalwart of those teams and the fact that he was picked by three well regarded Cork GAA men, Jimmy Barry-Murphy, John Fenton and Denis Coughlan, speaks volumes.
One half of the strike debate is now over and the team can focus on the on-pitch action. Of that we are all glad. As for the second part, that responsibility is with the clubs and the county board and I would hold out strong hope that that too will be resolved without any further confrontation.

Perfect sporting weekend

This weekend just passed must be close to the perfect sporting weekend. The main story was certainly Ireland's historic Grand Slam win after 61 years. It was - in the end - a gripping game of rugby which went to the very last kick. Overall, the team deserved the victory and I'm delighted that the current bunch of players achieved what they have promised for so long. During the earlier rugby games on Saturday I had one eye on the Premier League and was both shocked and delighted to see Man Utd and Chelsea lose. Utd's two dismissal's may also play a part in their next fixture versus Aston Villa. Liverpool put any fears of a slip up to rest in the first 30 minutes on Sunday and eventually cruised to a 5-0 win versus Villa. Looks like game on in the league.

In other sporting news Bernard Dunne won his first world title win an 11th round stoppage in Dublin, in the early hours of Sunday morning, so well done to him. And the Cork hurlers were back with the 14 changes helping the team to overcome a six point deficit with ten minutes to go. A late burst of ten unanswered points from the rebels gave them their first win of the season.

So a great weekend all round - more of the same please!

Dreaming in green...

So while the Cork county board meet the chairmen of the clubs I thought I'd turn my attention to this weekend's Six Nations action. It's been a mixed bag for Declan Kidney's men in the first three games of this year's championship. That aside, 2009 provides a clear opportunity to win the country's first championship since 1985 and maybe, just maybe, a first Grand Slam since 1948.

Looking at the three games so far the only thing you would say they had in common was that Ireland won them. The French game was one of the best games of rugby I have seen in some time with both teams dominating in turn and Ireland's defence making the difference in the end. The Italian game was a brutish clash of culture with the Italian negativity not enough to hold back the Irish. Finally, the English game which was simply bad - O'Gara's uncharacteristic performance almost cost us the game.
That said, three wins down and two games to go. It's interesting to see the four changes for the Scotland game as Kidney may have one eye on the Wales game the week after. Either way that will be the decider as the championship will almost certainly go to the winner of that match. So fingers crossed. We won't get carried away but focus on Murrayfield and take it from there.

Gerald resigns

Breaking news a short time ago that the inevitable has happened and Gerald Mac has resigned tonight - http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/gaa/2009/0310/1224242653438.html. It's a terrible shame that it has come to this and that this event will be a black mark on the career of a distinguished player and coach.
Ultimately, it's the fact that the board put Gerald in this position first day and he was possibly too proud too hang it up after two average years.
The county board used him as a pawn in their efforts to control the Cork team's and unfortunately he allowed himself to be used in this. Hopefully now the clubs will follow through and ensure the second motion on the role of club delegates is upheld also.

Tick, tock.....

Not much more to add to the Cork saga as we await tonight's "information and consultation" meeting between club chairmen and the county board. Latest here in the Times and here in the Examiner.
And of course you have always got the opinion of the People's Republic to fall back on!

Allen's words echo the thoughts of many

Fantastic article in the Irish Times today from former Cork manager John Allen - Pray democracy is finally coming to the Cork GAA. Any Cork fans reading this piece won't be able to deny the truth in Allen's words in the opening paragraphs, where he recounts the successes and solidarity of the 2003-2006 seasons.

Reading through his comments recalls the excitement of those four finals in a row - losing to Kilkenny first before stopping their three-in-a-row in 2004, winning again the following year before Kilkenny came back to deny us in kind. As a formerly football focused Corkonian,those years under the guidance of Donal O'Grady and then Allen himself, were a turning point in my preferences. That team should be going down in history as one of the finest ever to play, not being derided as troublemakers.

John Allen worked with the panel all through the period, two years as a selector and two as manager. The fact that they were getting beaten by nine points in an All-Ireland semi-final just two years after his tenure ended is testament to the regression in Cork hurling in that period.
Now that the county board has agreed to meet the club chairmen next week the hope I (and all Cork fans) maintain is that this chapter can be brought to a close.
The 2008 panel must return to the fold under a new management team - mixed with those currently playing under McCarthy where appropriate - and Cork are somewhat competitive in the 2009 championship. In reality this year is a washout for the Rebels, but if the board gets their way, Cork will be in the doldrums for many seasons to come.

The clubs are speaking...loud and clear.

My home club, Douglas, voted last night in an EGM on the current impasse between the 2008 Hurling panel and the Cork County Board. Club members turned out in force to have their say, in scenes which are being repeated across the county all week.

156 members attended last night, faced with two motions:
1. Should Gerald McCarthy and the 2009 management team step down?
Yes - 134 (86%); No - 19 (12%); Spoiled - 3 (2%)

2. Should club delegates return to their clubs for guidance before voting on motions raised by the county board?
Yes - 149 (96%); No - 5 (3%); Spoiled - 2 (1%)

Chairmen of the county's clubs are due to meet independent of the players tonight in Clonakilty, before meeting the payers again on Sunday night in Douglas. In between at least another ten clubs will hold EGM's to vote on the motions above. This follows overwhelming support from the members of Nemo Rangers, Ballincollig and Na Piarsigh.

There is some concern however than junior clubs are not going to be represented in nay discussion at next week's county board meeting as their divisions are not going to hold a vote in advance of that meeting. More on that here.