Members of camogie management resign

THREE members of Clare’s 2011 senior camogie management team resigned from their positions on Friday last.
Team manager Patsy Fahy (pictured), along with selectors Ger O’Halloran and Eamon O’Loughlin, announced their decision following a meeting between players and management. Selector Tom Hogan from Kilmaley has remained in place and it is expected that he will be part of whatever replacement selection committee is put in place.
According to a statement issued by the Clare Camogie Board at the weekend, “Management have been disappointed and frustrated with numbers at training recently which has been poor due to the college commitments of some players.
“It is an area that they hoped could be improved upon but, with a panel that includes 21 students, this attendance at Tuesday training sessions was not going to improve before the end of the college year in May. This is always a difficult time of the year, one on this occasion which the management were unable to work through.”
The statement continued, “The men felt that they had brought the team as far as they could, and that a new management would be able to help further progress the team’s development. They expressed their good wishes to the panel for their forthcoming Munster championship campaign.”
Speaking to The Clare Champion on Tuesday, Patsy Fahy confirmed that poor numbers at training on a frequent basis led to this decision. “There were too many coming and going but not enough attending regularly for Clare to go forward,” he said.
The Doora-Barefield man who is part of the Kilmaley senior hurling management team this year, added “only 18 from a panel of 30-plus travelled to Wexford for the recent league game and that annoyed me more than anything. It was on a Saturday and we were playing the All-Ireland champions. It showed that team spirit in the camp was lacking.
“Last week, the captain had requested that all players be at training on Friday and only 12 were there and that was after a two-week break. If we can’t motivate them then maybe it’s a job for someone else,” he said, adding that he and his management team had got “100% support from the county board at all times”.
Team captain, Siobhán Lafferty, who hasn’t played in the league as she is recovering from keyhole surgery on her knee, said she is hoping for a quick resolution. “We, the players, have contacted each other this week. We are playing Waterford in just over two weeks,” she said.
The Kilnamona woman confirmed that “attendance has been poor on Tuesday evenings but there is nothing we can do about that at the minute. Girls have to get ready for exams”.
She continued, “the county board are handling things at present and they have organised a challenge for this Friday and another for next week.
“These will give the players an opportunity to impress. Some felt that they weren’t getting that chance. I am hoping that a trainer will be appointed by the weekend.”
Siobhán is hoping to return to training this weekend but it is unknown if she will be ready to play a part in the Munster championship clash with Waterford.
Speaking this week, Clare camogie chairperson Orla Considine confirmed that all members of the senior squad have been called to a training session for this Friday evening.
“After this gathering, we hope to be in a position to put a team in place to continue with the preparations ahead of the championship,” she confirmed.