By Martin Kiely
Sunday April 29 2012
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With just four weeks to go to their opening-round game in the Munster hurling championship, Limerick hurling was dealt a major blow yesterday with the resignation of selector Ciarán Carey.
Carey, who was a selector under Donal O'Grady, was asked to continue in the role under new manager John Allen but the former Limerick star has decided to stand down.
"I had issues with how the team were physically prepared and that trend has been there for a while now," said Carey yesterday.
"We faded badly in the second half against Clare and that should never have happened. We were eight points up and in control but when Clare moved up a gear we were unable to follow and that should not be the case at this level".
Carey is regarded as one of the finest hurlers the county has produced and was seen as a future Limerick manager so it cannot have been an easy decision for him to walk away so close to the championship.
"The easy thing to do was to go through the motions for the next few weeks but Limerick hurling means too much to me. For that reason, I needed to be honest to myself but, more importantly, I needed to be honest to the players. Honesty should be at the core of any inter-county set-up and it would be wrong to stay in a system that I clearly had concerns about."
Carey is well liked by the players and past exploits on the field saw him gain huge respect but standing down now may hinder his chances of managing Limerick in the future.
"I was disappointed not to get the job when Donal O'Grady got it and it was a double blow not to get it last time round," he said. "I decided to stay involved when asked by John Allen and I was quite prepared to give him my full backing but over the past few weeks I have just not enjoyed it.
"It will come as no shock to the management that I have made such a decision because I have voiced my concerns over the past few months about our preparations. If you are to have any hope at this level, you must be able to compete with the best teams, because power and pace are such a major part of the game now. In this regard, we have some way to go."
It seems no year would be complete without some problems in Limerick hurling and Carey says he had made his views known to some members of the county board and that his decision to stand down will not be a surprise to them.
Limerick play Dublin in a challenge game today in Cappamore.
- Martin Kiely
