There are times in life when misfortune bequeaths us all, and far more perspective endorsing misfortune than the current Limerick strife. However those of us who have spent our lives growing up wanting to see Limerick win an All Ireland title cannot but be pained by the current strife. We have all grown up from the day of our birth dreaming of All Ireland success, wanting a Limerick captain to emulate Eamon Grimes on the first Sunday in September.

There will be no September in 2010 with or without Justin McCarthy. The year is as good as gone. A vote on the future of the management will take place later this week, once Cheltenham is over. To all intents and purposes it is a meaningless vote. A 2/3rds majority will be required to change the Limerick management, and the appetite for change does not extend to 2/3rds of the delegates. 126 people voted before Christmas, with Justin winning the vote by 72-56. A simple majority would have led to change, a risk taken by the top table. But the board proposed confidence in the management, safe in the assumption that they were standing on solid ground. There will be no such risks this time round and the top table have made their position clear. In short, it means that Justin needs just 40 votes to survive. He will get the votes, and will survive despite losing a vote by 70-50 or thereabouts.

But the big loser is Limerick hurling. Even within clubs, people are entrenched on both sides of the fence. Delegates will be mandated to vote one way and some will wish to do their own thing once they enter the hall in Claughaun. The fallout will be bitter regardless of the result as neither side can see an alternative view to the argument. It is a lose-lose situation and never before has a situation in Limerick hurling been so divisive. Perhaps the one thing that could be done in this vote is to ensure that a secret ballot does not take place. The secretary should roll-call the clubs one by one from his list, and they should reply openly with their vote. If nothing else is achieved on the night, it would at least lead to honesty and transparency, something sorely lacking in this entire controversy. In some other counties, clubs make a decision as a club and then email their vote to the county secretary. Too often in Limerick, delegates have had the freedom to go on a solo-run. Perhaps the officers of the board should vote openly also.

Reconciliation is something that is not an option. The players have made that clear, and they are not for turning. A proposal from the top table that a professional mediator be brought in never got off the ground simply because it wasn’t financially viable. Christy Cooney was available free of charge, but decided he didn’t like the temperature of the water, something for which he has been the subject of much criticism within Limerick. It didn’t make sense to then waste a five-figure sum to wine and dine a professional for a weekend, when the players would not turn up to meet him. In this economic climate there are greater needs.

To date Justin’s charges have performed as well as has been expected. They haven’t been humiliated, while at the same time they have never looked like winning a game. Crucially though, they have fought with spirit heart and determination which means that some of them are made of the right stuff in terms of Limerick hurling values. In the unlikely event of Justin being voted out, there are a number of the new players who would be on the team. In fact, the performances of some of the newcomers means that perhaps only eight of the twenty-four who are currently not available would make the starting 2010 team under any manager. But those players are not available and will not be available and there has been no result, either something that resembles a victory, or a comprehensive defeat that would swing the momentum either way. There are players with something to offer who are not currently involved such as Paudie O’Brien who has played well in this years Fitzgibbon Cup for LIT, Don Hanley, and the trio of Tobin brothers from Murroe/Boher.

Those against change are against it for three main reasons: the Croke Park massacre, the constant changing of managers, and a reluctance to give in to player power. The Limerick battle is not one of player power. If it was, individuals such as Paudie McNamara, Graham Mulcahy, Paul Browne, Bryan O’Sullivan and James O’Brien would not have been free to do as they wished. The Limerick battle is about the inability to work with a manager, a selector and a liaison officer. Indeed, it remains to be seen if a vote to remove the current management also includes the current Liaison Officer. Is he a member of the management or is he an independent person? If not part of the management, would it take a separate meeting and vote to remove him?

The theory that Limerick have excessively changed managers in recent years is also without foundation. The roll of honour is as follows:

Cork (7) Jimmy Barry Murphy, Bertie Óg Murphy, Donal O’Grady, John Allen, Gerald McCarthy, John Considine and Denis Walsh.

Limerick (7) (Eamonn Cregan, Mossie Carroll, Dave Keane, Padjoe Whelahan, Joe McKenna, Richard Bennis, Justin McCarthy

Wexford (6) Joachim Kelly, Tony Dempsey, John Conran, Seamus Murphy, John Meyler, Colm Bonnar

Offaly (6) Pat Fleury, Michael Bond, Fr Tom Fogarty, Mike McNamara, John McIntyre, Joe Dooley

Clare (6) Ger Loughnane, Cyril Lyons, Anthony Daly, Tony Considine, Mike McNamara, Ger O’Loughlin

Galway (5) Mattie Murphy, Noel Lane, Conor Hayes, Ger Loughnane, John McIntyre

Tipperary (5) Nicky English, Michael Doyle, Ken Hogan, Babs Keating and Liam Sheedy.

To conclude, this Limerick crisis is set to rumble. Like all the major referendums in this state, everything seems to hover in the background until the result is reversed. However, in this case, such is the fine line with which those at both sides of the fence are divided, any result will leave 50% of the people unhappy as well as bitter.

Even if Justin is voted out, who would replace him? Is John Tuohy (a) interested, (b) acceptable to the players and (c) acceptable to the delegates? Do we appoint the last Limerick manager to win silverware, Gerry Molyneaux? Do we go with a Godfather/Pretender scenario as Dublin have done with Mickey Whelan and Pat Gilroy in Dublin? It worked well with Richard Bennis and Gary Kirby for a couple of years. However regardless of any votes, there are a few things Limerick County Board could do to avoid a repeat controversy.

(a) Grant managers a one-year term only. If he is good enough and the players are happy he continues, if not, this would provide an easy opt out clause without resorting to a motion of no-confidence.
(b) Issue letters to all players regardless of status at the end of each year informing them that their year is over, thanking them for their services and saying that if they are required for the following year, they will be contacted in due course.
(c) Appoint a three-man committee of ex-players to appoint managers and keep regular contact with players.
(d) Use a non-board official chosen by Manager and Players as a Liaison Officer.
(e) Ensure that the National Coaching and Training Centre in UL remains a central part of player training regardless of who is the manager.