TIPPERARY LADIES FOOTBALL manager Shane Ronayne has slammed the Kerry ladies county board, saying the men’s match on Sunday was the reason behind dual star Orla O’Dwyer playing two inter-county matches four hours apart on Saturday.
Tipperary football manager Shane Ronayne and dual player Orla O'Dwyer.
First up, O’Dwyer was out with the footballers at 1pm in Nenagh before making the trip to The Ragg to captain the camogie side against Offaly for a 5pm throw-in.
Kerry were the opposition for the footballers, and Ronayne says that the original day for that fixture was Sunday but the Kingdom county board refused to play that day because of the men’s side’s Super 8s showdown against Galway in Croke Park.
“We kept very quiet about it since the whole thing arose,” Ronayne, who steered the Premier county to the 2017 TG4 All-Ireland intermediate title and this year’s Division 2 league crown, told TippFM after the game on Saturday.
“This isn’t sour grapes on our part but the carry on of the Kerry ladies board — not the team or the management, I spoke to the manager and he had no problem playing the Sunday and I know lots of players had no problem playing the Sunday.
“The agreement was there with Croke Park that this weekend, the camogie was on the Saturday and the football was on the Sunday. The Kerry chairman and secretary sent an email to Croke Park — we have all the emails if anybody wants to see them — stating that they wanted to play the game on the Saturday because there was parents of players on their ladies team who had [sons] on the men’s team as well.
“I don’t think that’s very fair. There was a national agreement in place between the camogie and the ladies football and I don’t think parents should have dictated when the game was played.
“Ladies football had agreed to play the game on the 15th, we had agreed to play the game on the 15th. This is no sour grapes on our part, Kerry were by far the better team today but what was done to Orla O’Dwyer in light of looking after parents. I know that’s difficult for parents, but parents have choices to make as well.
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“Orla O’Dwyer was given no choice to make today and that’s very unfair on a player who’s absolutely committed to both teams. Myself and Bill Mullaney (Tipperary camogie manager) have worked very well together, the camogie (chairperson) spoke very well on TippFM on Friday.
Orla O'Dwyer celebrates her camogie side's late win on Saturday. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“Hands up to them, they didn’t lay any blame on our door because the blame wasn’t on our door — the blame lies solely with the Kerry county board. They refused to play the game on the Sunday. We thought it was on the Sunday, it was suddenly put back onto the Saturday again. Girls had changed work and everything.”
There are five sets of siblings across the two Kerry teams — Paul and Sarah Murphy, Jack and Meabh Barry, Paul and Deirdre Geaney, Micheal and Siobhan Burns, and Kate and Tom O’Sullivan.
Ronayne added: “But the main concern was Orla O’Dwyer and Orla O’Dwyer was discommoded today by Kerry Ladies Football board, not the team, not the management.
“They both (players and management) said to me they thought the game was on the Sunday, they didn’t have an issue with it. They (Kerry county board) can deny it all they want, it’s down on paper, we have the emails from Croke Park.
“It’s just very unfair. I think it’s very, very poor that parents were put first. A player should have been put first. The players are the biggest stakeholders in our association. The parents are not.”
Ronayne also confirmed that all has been ‘sorted out no problem’ for next weekend. The footballers are out on Saturday against Donegal while the camogie team face Dublin on Sunday.
Once again, it’s a quick turnaround for O’Dwyer but she’ll have a bit more time on her hands this weekend than she did between the Kerry loss and Offaly win on Saturday.
She also spoke to TippFM the following day:
“Today, I am a bit tired. I was very happy I did it,” the Cashel camogie ace and Boherlahan footballer said. “It was great to get one win at least anyway.
“Just looking forward to next week now, I can’t dwell on it too much. Just recover a lot, relax, focus and get the head right again for next weekend.
O'Dwyer leads her camogie team out. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
“There wasn’t much time between to think. I didn’t really think about the football, just focused on the camogie. That was the big thing as well, just to block out what had happened and focus on the camogie and what you’d bring to that.”
She added, on the next test: “Obviously playing the two games at the weekend will be hard enough challenge, but I’ve done it.Obviously it’s a lot easier than playing the two in the one day but I’m looking forward to it.
“Yesterday was very, very tough with the two. I think it was tough on the team-mates as well — going into the camogie match, they knew I was deflated from the football match.
“I just have to forget about that and focus for next weekend.”
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Tipperary boss claims Kerry Super 8s match the reason for dual fixture clash
TIPPERARY LADIES FOOTBALL manager Shane Ronayne has slammed the Kerry ladies county board, saying the men’s match on Sunday was the reason behind dual star Orla O’Dwyer playing two inter-county matches four hours apart on Saturday.
First up, O’Dwyer was out with the footballers at 1pm in Nenagh before making the trip to The Ragg to captain the camogie side against Offaly for a 5pm throw-in.
Kerry were the opposition for the footballers, and Ronayne says that the original day for that fixture was Sunday but the Kingdom county board refused to play that day because of the men’s side’s Super 8s showdown against Galway in Croke Park.
“We kept very quiet about it since the whole thing arose,” Ronayne, who steered the Premier county to the 2017 TG4 All-Ireland intermediate title and this year’s Division 2 league crown, told TippFM after the game on Saturday.
“This isn’t sour grapes on our part but the carry on of the Kerry ladies board — not the team or the management, I spoke to the manager and he had no problem playing the Sunday and I know lots of players had no problem playing the Sunday.
“I don’t think that’s very fair. There was a national agreement in place between the camogie and the ladies football and I don’t think parents should have dictated when the game was played.
“Ladies football had agreed to play the game on the 15th, we had agreed to play the game on the 15th. This is no sour grapes on our part, Kerry were by far the better team today but what was done to Orla O’Dwyer in light of looking after parents. I know that’s difficult for parents, but parents have choices to make as well.
“Orla O’Dwyer was given no choice to make today and that’s very unfair on a player who’s absolutely committed to both teams. Myself and Bill Mullaney (Tipperary camogie manager) have worked very well together, the camogie (chairperson) spoke very well on TippFM on Friday.
“Hands up to them, they didn’t lay any blame on our door because the blame wasn’t on our door — the blame lies solely with the Kerry county board. They refused to play the game on the Sunday. We thought it was on the Sunday, it was suddenly put back onto the Saturday again. Girls had changed work and everything.”
There are five sets of siblings across the two Kerry teams — Paul and Sarah Murphy, Jack and Meabh Barry, Paul and Deirdre Geaney, Micheal and Siobhan Burns, and Kate and Tom O’Sullivan.
Ronayne added: “But the main concern was Orla O’Dwyer and Orla O’Dwyer was discommoded today by Kerry Ladies Football board, not the team, not the management.
“They both (players and management) said to me they thought the game was on the Sunday, they didn’t have an issue with it. They (Kerry county board) can deny it all they want, it’s down on paper, we have the emails from Croke Park.
Ronayne also confirmed that all has been ‘sorted out no problem’ for next weekend. The footballers are out on Saturday against Donegal while the camogie team face Dublin on Sunday.
Once again, it’s a quick turnaround for O’Dwyer but she’ll have a bit more time on her hands this weekend than she did between the Kerry loss and Offaly win on Saturday.
She also spoke to TippFM the following day:
“Today, I am a bit tired. I was very happy I did it,” the Cashel camogie ace and Boherlahan footballer said. “It was great to get one win at least anyway.
“Just looking forward to next week now, I can’t dwell on it too much. Just recover a lot, relax, focus and get the head right again for next weekend.
“There wasn’t much time between to think. I didn’t really think about the football, just focused on the camogie. That was the big thing as well, just to block out what had happened and focus on the camogie and what you’d bring to that.”
She added, on the next test: “Obviously playing the two games at the weekend will be hard enough challenge, but I’ve done it.Obviously it’s a lot easier than playing the two in the one day but I’m looking forward to it.
“Yesterday was very, very tough with the two. I think it was tough on the team-mates as well — going into the camogie match, they knew I was deflated from the football match.
“I just have to forget about that and focus for next weekend.”
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Camogie dual dilemma Ladies Football Ladies GAA orla o'dwyer Shane Ronayne two games one day