The St Eunan’s senior hurling team and management have penned a letter to the Club Players Association (CPA) that outlines the level of frustration with club v county issues.
It wasn’t even the doing of their own county, either, that promoted the strongly-worded and passionate letter.
Last Saturday, St Eunan’s were due to play Knockbridge from Louth in the Táin Ulster Senior Hurling League division final.
In a letter, written by St Eunan’s assistant manager Paddy Flood and co-signed by manager Tom Hennessy, backroom team members and 37 players, St Eunan’s lay bare the realities of it all.
Their letter states that players had to change work, take time off and how one even planned to return from work in Spain.
“Everything was in place when notice came to our club secretary at 8.30pm Thursday evening, less than two days before the game, that Knockbridge could not field,” the letter says.
That afternoon, the Louth county manager, apparently with the backing of the Louth County Board, exercised their right to not permit any county players from playing.
“In the absence of any notice to the contrary, both clubs and the Ulster Council reasonably assumed that all players would be available,” the letter continues.
“What we find completely unacceptable and disrespectful to all the club players involved is doing this at the last minute after players and managers had gone to huge efforts to make the arrangements.
“The Louth manager had over two weeks to let his players and clubs know his attention. He just could not be bothered to do so, leaving more than 40 club players high and dry when he finally decided to inform clubs of his decision.
“Louth County Board fully backed him in this action, showing they shared his complete contempt for club players.”
The letter makes the case that ‘this repeated farce occurs in no other sport’, adding: ‘Relevant authorities throwing their hands in the air and saying how sorry they are about it all does no wash any more’.
St Eunan’s, ultimately, feel their musings will fall upon deaf ears.
The letter ends: “Writing this letter is ultimately pointless. It’s another waste of time. The result is still no game for the players, and work and holidays disrupted for nothing. Again.”
