County board back McCarthy

Waterford hurling row: The Waterford County Board will continue to give full support to hurling manager Justin McCarthy despite the apparent player unrest which has seen two senior members of the panel - Brian Greene and Peter Queally - announce their retirement from the intercounty scene.

Greene and Queally cited difficulties with McCarthy's methods of management as the main reasons behind their retirement, claiming they might be persuaded to return if changes were made. But Paddy Joe Ryan, the Waterford County Board chairman, said yesterday McCarthy had the full backing of the board, and that certain players "might think they are better than they actually are".

Earlier this week another veteran of Waterford hurling and former captain, Fergal Hartley, announced his decision to retire purely because of outside commitments, while Tony Browne, the former hurler of the year, and Brian Flannery are also known to be contemplating their futures. Yet according to Ryan, the news that neither Greene nor Queally would play for Waterford again as long as McCarthy remained in charge will have absolutely no effect on the county board's total support of the current management team.

"The Waterford County Board fully support the senior hurling management team," said Ryan. "That's the first thing to say about this. They've had some excellent results over the last two years, so we are 100 per cent behind them.

"And I believe Justin has been tremendously successful. So we're certainly not going to interfere in any way with him. We're looking forward to the new season with huge anticipation.

"This management has been given a job to do. If players come to us with personal grievances then naturally we will take them up. But I've heard no grievances from any of these players, except for what I've read in the papers. And we don't discuss our business through the media. In fact these players have made no communication at all to the county board, or to the management."

In Waterford's breakthrough victory in the Munster hurling final of 2002, their first title in 39 years, Greene and Queally were key members of the defence. Yet it is clear they were coming close to the end of their careers anyway, with Greene, aged 32, having made his senior debut back in 1991, and Queally four years later.

Waterford failed to achieve those same heights this past season, losing narrowly to Cork in the Munster final, and later going down to Wexford in the All-Ireland qualifiers. McCarthy, however, was reappointed for a third year, and added Nicky Cashin and Gerry Fitzpatrick to his management team.

"To be honest I'm very disappointed that some people would see the Waterford management in this way," added Ryan. "But a manager can only pick 15 players from a panel of 30. That means 15 players won't get to start, and that makes for a lot of competition for places. So maybe some players might think they are better than they actually are."

It appears unlikely the county board or McCarthy will make any efforts to tempt Queally or Greene into a change of heart. According the Ryan there was still more than enough depth and enthusiasm in the Waterford panel to survive the retirements. "It's always sad when players retire. But I suppose they know what is best for themselves. We still have plenty of good young hurlers in Waterford and plenty of players trying to get on to the panel. So we'll move on from this.

"If certain players still want to talk to us through the proper channels then maybe something can be worked out. But we can't be discussing these issues through the media. They'll have to come and talk with us directly. But these things always happen this time of the year. It's not like we're losing a load of younger players. These players have given tremendous service to the county over the last 11 or 12 years, and Peter Queally in particular has been an outstanding servant to Waterford hurling."

Ryan admitted he was aware of certain players being disappointed at not holding down their places in the starting line-up, but that it was entirely up to the management to decide on who should play, and no one else should interfere.

"Of course you could see the dissatisfaction when players were taken off during the championship, and you could see the reaction after the games. I'm not blind. But the Waterford County Board picked this management, and the management pick the team, and we're not going to interfere in that."

Ryan pointed out that the situation with Hartley, as well as the talk of retirement surrounding Browne, had nothing to do with McCarthy's management.

"Fergal in fact contacted me a few months ago and told me he was finished. He said he just couldn't find the time anymore because of personal commitments. I left it up to him to announce it, although I did my best to make him change his mind. I felt he still had something to offer.

"And the situation with Tony Browne is completely different too. He has been in contact with the management to tell them he is injured and has various other commitments at the moment. So he has discussed his own situation with us, and it's got nothing to do with what any other players might be saying."