TIPPERARY GAA CHAIRMAN Michael Bourke has slammed Tyrone for their “type of play and intimidation” during last May’s EirGrid All-Ireland U21 football final.
Tipp lost out by a point against the Red Hands at Parnell Park but the fallout from the game was bitter, with Tyrone boss Feargal Logan denied access to the losing dressing room as the Premier County levelled accusations of cynicism and sledging at the winners.
Bourke has also accused Croke Park of showing “very little respect” for the U21 showpiece with the choice of venue for the game.
Addressing delegates at Tipperary’s annual convention in Thurles on Thursday night, Bourke also questioned the county’s dual stance at minor level following All-Ireland final defeats in both grades this year.
And Bourke also hit out at football board chiefs for the amount of time it took to put forward Liam Kearns as a successor to former senior team manager Peter Creedon.
Football was very much on the agenda at the Dome, with a motion calling for county players to put themselves forward for one panel only heavily defeated.
But Bourke is concerned by the demands placed on dual players in the minor grade – indicating that there should only be room for them “in exceptional circumstances.”
Bourke said: “Our U21 footballers gave us many memorable moments up to the All-Ireland.
“The type of play and intimidation that our players had to contend with in the All-Ireland left a lot to be desired and Croke Park showed very little respect for the U21 football All-Ireland by playing it in a venue which is not suitable for an All-Ireland, with traffic congestion and limited space being some of the major problems on the evening.
“It is no wonder that there are suggestions coming out of Croke Park to do away with the U21 football championship.
This I believe would be a very negative step and how do they propose to fill this gap for players from minor to senior football?”
Bourke reflected on an “interesting and disappointing” end to the hurling season for Tipperary.
The U21 hurlers exited at the first round of the championship against eventual All-Ireland champions Limerick, a defeat viewed as a major blow given the potential within the squad.
The minor hurlers lost to Galway in the All-Ireland final and the seniors fell at the penultimate hurdle, also against Galway.
Bourke added: “Last year the hurling scene was interesting and disappointing with the end result.
“Our minor hurlers qualified for the All-Ireland having retained the Munster title.
“The team, under the stewardship of Liam Cahill, worked extremely hard to reach the Munster final and win it.
“Like any underage team, it is not until they get past their first game that you sometimes realise the potential within the panel.
“Liam and his team had to cope, like the minor football selectors, with dual players.
This is something that has received a lot of attention of late and I believe minor hurling and football cannot progress with large numbers of dual players on panels.
“There might be room for limited numbers in exceptional circumstances. “The other question is – can Tipperary produce separate panels for minor hurling and football?
“The workload on dual players leading into both All-Irelands was managed well but also a drain on players.”
Bourke acknowledged the recent progress of football in Tipperary but referred to the delay in ratifying Kearns as new senior team manager.
It had been anticipated that Kearns would be given the green light to take over from Creedon in early November but his appointment was not officially rubber-stamped until later in the month as a number of loose ends were tidied up behind the scenes.
Laying the blame at the door of the football board for the impasse, Bourke said: “Football in general has worked very well in Tipperary but I believe too much time was lost from the time of exit of championships and the retirement of selectors and their replacements being found.
“Most of this responsibility rests with football management committee.
There were far too few organised football committee meetings this year, no communication to county board of decisions or efforts being made to progress football.
“Under Croke Park guidelines and requests, we are obliged going forward to look at the role of the football committee and their reporting mechanisms to county board. This will happen in the month of January.”
What a last 100 metres. Brilliant stuff.
@Ian Cunningham: brilliant for sure, I remember many moons ago thinking the same about another Irish swimmer M S de Brún, only hope that this isn’t history repeating itself.
@WqM9AAv3: Do one
@WqM9AAv3: educate yourself a bit about the guy typical response from someone who probably only watches the sport every 4 years
@WqM9AAv3: give over….Daniel did not come from no where like michelle in Atlanta, he was one of the favouties, world camp going in
@Kevin Bury: champ!!
@colin coady: so it’s a 100 % clean sport? No one ever takes anything they not supposed to, in order to enhance their performance? Educate myself. Russian swimmers, Chinese swimmers, American swimmers, Australian swimmers, Irish swimmers, British swimmers, loads of them all positive throughout the years and banned, medals taken away from them, countries banned from the sport etc etc. that’s just a very short synopsis of widespread use in the sport. There’s tonnes of articles online about it. Perhaps you meant to ask yourself to be the one educated
@orb7eckn: do a performance enhancing one? What one will I do Joe?
@WqM9AAv3: WTF, can you not just enjoy one of our own winning a gold? Seriously like…
@WqM9AAv3: one for your brain and another for your personality, both need a boost
@orb7eckn: as you see another you see yourself – Yeshua Christos
@Kevin Dillon: sorry I didn’t know he was a family member Kevin
@WqM9AAv3: Maybe you should follow your own advice and leave the remarks about a win being tainted.
@orb7eckn: I must be a doubting Thomas so
@WqM9AAv3: nah, just someone looking for attention
@orb7eckn: one who speaks his mind is an attention seeker. Wow
@WqM9AAv3: Very different swimmers. Dan is in his prime and has another Olympics at least in him. As far as I am concerned the 2 swimming medals this year are Irelands first olympic swimming medals. Michelle Smith married Erik de Bruin, a discus thrower and banned doping cheat, in the same year as her 4 medals (1996). He had been “coaching” her for 3 years leading up to the Olympics. She was at the end of her career and was not expected to medal but out of nowhere produced those 4 performances. Although she was never proven to have cheated in Atlanta she was banned 2 years later for tampering with a sample!!
Go on boy! Some last 100m to pass them out
Olympic Gold!!! You’re the man Daniel.
A phenomenal swim from Daniel. A worthy Olympic Champion.
I love being from a small nation during the Olympics. Most of the US medals get lost in their coverage. Here, moments like last night and tonight are rare and rightly celebrated to their fullest.
An rud is annamh is iontach.
What a week for Armagh
Hail.Hail
PROUD
What a race, outstanding …
We have just witnessed something so very special…we have a super star among us
Absolutely unreal. Incredible. So so proud for him
That was incredible!!!!
Amazing
Bravo sir.
Wow, so fantastic.
Great stuff.
Awesome. What a competitor. Utter class.
Wow unreal what a moment for irish sport
Mighty
Supreme Magnificent. Well done Daniel. Plus an olympic record.
Massive, excellent, very well done. And himself and the brother are still only 23
What a swim, what a champion. Fabulous.
Some former pros saying he will take the 1500 as well
@Daithi Mc Ghiollamhairtin: he will
BBC sport already claiming him as a northern Irish athlete and how great it is to see a British athlete win gold.
@Aaron Tynan: yeah I see that he’s from northern Ireland – no mention of him being Irish though!
@Aaron Tynan: He is from Northern Ireland… what is wrong with them being lroud of him too? I think its time we lose the chip on our shoulder. RTE claiming Siobhan Haughey as one of ours even though she lives and trains and swims under the flag of Hong Kong!! We love to claim former American Presidents or soccer players born and bred in England with very tenuous 3rd generation links!!
Listening to his interview this man is not done yet . You can feel the confidence he has in himself. More medals to come.
A massive congratulations Daniel !
A very underwhelming commentary I thought. Sometimes the commentary defines the moment. Some last 100 meters – deserved more of a crescendo in the coverage. Guy is so confident which is what winners are.
@JJB: The commentary was excellent.
@Pat Coady: your opinion – I thought it was poor. Leave it there ….
@JJB: I thought the commentary was very good. Not at levels of the track relay but it wasn’t poor.
Congrats Daniel- what a wonderfully controlled swim
So proud of you.
He’s class , should get gold in the 1500 too
Holy f**k what a swim! Unreal
Unreal athlete but not great in interviews, comes across way too arrogant…
@Tom: does he not have a right to be?
If I was the best in the world I’d be a cocky fecker as well
@Reggordon: did you ever hear tiger woods speak like that who is a far far superior athlete???
I don’t think so!!!
It’s doesn’t come across well!!
It’s a great athlete and I hope he gets gold again tbh….
@Tom: Tiger may be humble now, but he was one of the most arrogant when he was at his peak. It was part of his weaponry.
@Tom: It’s called confidence Tom. Muhammad Ali ! Was he confident or arrogant?
@Tom: top top sports people like this have no doubts that they are the best. It’s not the only reason they win but it’s one of the reasons. Any self doubt in that race, he’d have lost. Paul O’Donovan is the same
@Tom: honestly better than McSharry who was grateful to finish third even though she easily could have won based on her semi final experience. We need more athletes confident in their ability and not willing to settle for a silver or bronze
@Tom: Give over, small margins in elite level sport and you need to have confidence in your ability in situations where you for example could be sitting 3rd or 4th and have the confidence to sit with your plan and grind it out. I didn’t hear arrogance at all, just a confident athlete. Why do we as a nation always try to tear our heroes down. I was delighted he implied there is more to come from him.
@Tom: that man has a fantastic attitude. He didn’t bad mouth his opponents, he didn’t whoop it up but he’s obviously got serious belief in his ability, as you would if you were a double world champion & so far an Olympic champion in one discipline. I don’t see too many other champs going “aw shucks, shur I’m only thankful to be here”
@Tom: i like it… walks the walk….confident does not mean cocky or arrogant…. no shame in saying im the best…and u pull a gold medal out of the bag.
..easier thing is to say ive no chance. etc
@Owen ODonoghue: you’re being exceptionally harsh on mcsharry there. She’s been in a lot of finals & finished 4th or 5th. She swam a pb at the Olympics and medalled, that’s an unbelievable achievement. Going by the earlier heats the saffer always had her measure & it was nip and tuck between her and the Chinese swimmer
Fantastic
he is wold class
So proud to be an Irish family on foreign soil thank you Danial .. thank you Ireland ..
Daniel ‘The last 50′ Wiffen.
Reminds me of Michelle Smith.
@Ben F: scurrilous comment
@Ben F: wiffen winning was no surprise to anyone
@munsterman: Exactly, if anyone was following the guy they would know, but just people here treat this as an echo chamber as a pick me up for their own low self esteem
@Ben F: what a stupid comment
@Ben F: nothing like it….world champ going in
Fantastic achievement and still only at start of career. See another Irishman won gold as well in the swimming today, though was competing for team GB, but it should be mentioned.