The on-going dispute between the Cork senior hurlers and manager Gerald McCarthy seems to have come to a temporary solution, with McCarthy naming a squad of 31 players to represent Cork in a challenge game.

On October 21 the Cork County Board reappointed Gerald McCarthy as Cork hurling boss, extending his tenure until October 2010. Within a week of the appointment trouble had broken out within the players camp. Prior to the decision to allow McCarthy continue in his managerial role being made public, the players were under the impression that he would not be available to take up the position in the forthcoming season, thus ensuring a new hurling boss for the rebels.

Cork All-Star, Ben O’Connor then announced that the entire playing squad would not be making themselves available to play under Gerald McCarthy, “and this panel are ready to go the whole distance” he added.

Despite the growing unrest, McCarthy insisted he was staying put, accusing senior players of trying to “appoint their own managers”. He hit out at O’Connor saying that he was putting pressure on younger players to make themselves unavailable.

The players hit back, claiming the process used to hire McCarthy was flawed.
They also released a hard hitting statement responding to the accusation made by McCarthy. In the statement the players refuted the allegation that they want the right to pick the manager, instead insisting they only wished to be part of the selection process. .

GAA President Nicky Brennan expressed his disappointment at the on-going dispute, but confirmed that Croke Park would not get involved. In a statement released on Saturday November 15, McCarthy strongly criticised comments made by Cork star Seán Óg Ó h’Ailpín about his coaching abilities. In a thinly-veiled stab at Seán Óg’s widely perceived eagerness to gain financially from his GAA career, McCarthy said “he should take time out from his substantial business interests arising from his Cork hurling career, dealing with his agent, his membership of the GPA, his job with Ulster Bank and his on-off role with Cork, then maybe he wouldn’t be changing his mind about my abilities as a coach by the day”.

With McCarthy taking this latest step in trying to outmanoeuvre his former players , it remains to be seen whether any of last year’s panel will return under his management.