The crisis in Cork GAA rumbles on with the county board in session tonight in Páirc Uí Chaoimh and the county footballers meeting tomorrow. Seán Moran reports.

There is speculation that developments will take place in relation to the county's senior hurling selection committee at the county board meeting and that the footballers will join the hurlers in withdrawing their services from the county team.

Last Friday the Cork hurlers announced their strike and listed a number of grounds for dissatisfaction. These have received widespread publicity but despite the denial by players that they wish to influence the composition of the team management, it is clear that a new selection committee would clear the way for other issues to be resolved.

When last year's manager Bertie Óg Murphy resigned some expected his selectors - John Meyler, Pat McDonnell and PJ Murphy - to step aside but the system in Cork is for a management committee to be appointed for a tenure, in this case two years, which is not affected by resignations and withdrawals.

So far these selectors have hung tough, refusing to step down even when Bertie Murphy's resignation was accepted some weeks ago - notwithstanding the rancour between players and selectors.

A complicating factor has been the presence of county secretary Frank Murphy as the selector nominated by his club Blackrock, who are county champions. Murphy's dual role has also attracted criticism among the players. His club retained its title this year and is to nominate its selector for 2003 in the next couple of weeks.

This situation may change tonight. A source with high-level access to the county board said last night he expected the three current selectors to offer their resignation.

"There have been moves afoot to get the selection committee to step down and I've been told that this will happen at the county board meeting."

The same source, plus another, who is a senior figure in the county, expects Blackrock not to nominate Frank Murphy. According to one: "Frank has indicated to the club that he doesn't wish to be considered".

But the other says a substantial body of opinion within the club believes Blackrock should nominate someone else.

Jim Forbes, incoming chairman of the county board, emphasised that the current selection committee still had a year to serve and that "we have done nothing yet about a management team"

But Forbes struck a more hopeful note in relation to the other issues.

"People would have seen the players' demands and our responses in Saturday's (Irish) Examiner," he said. "There's not much between us. On certain issues we are tied by national GAA policy - mileage rates, ticket allocation and loss of wages - but other issues can be resolved. Leisure facilities made a lot of headlines. It's very easy to get leisure facilities but because players are scattered throughout Cork we have to find those convenient for players and we are actively pursuing that."

Asked if he sympathised with the players' grievances, Forbes said he did.

"I would always have sympathy for players but I was upset personally that they went away and organised a press conference without informing us. It was a bolt out of the blue. But that was their right. I think we can learn from all this and move on.

"I'm confident enough that this can be sorted out in the short term rather than in the long term. Before January, I'm hopeful that we will have a management and players in place."

Meanwhile, the footballers have indicated that they will be supporting the hurlers at their meeting tomorrow evening. Team captain Colin Corkery said that the issues affecting the hurlers also affected them.

"They are the same conditions for us. We're in the same boat. To be honest all down the years there has been a lot of dissatisfaction about certain things but the courage of the hurlers has brought it to a head. In the past we would have gone through management if we had grievances.

"I hope this will be resolved quickly. No one wants to go through this. We just want to get on with playing."

One matter that has caused some division is the complaint levelled by the hurlers against the medical back-up provided by the county board. A number of hurlers are believed to have expressed their regrets to team medical officer Dr Con Murphy that his contribution was impugned in reference to an incident involving a Cork hurler who had to be seen by the Derry doctor during a league match earlier this year.

According to Jim Forbes this gave the wrong impression. "This is not an issue. There's always a doctor at league games. If Con Murphy isn't able to travel he contacts his opposite number and makes arrangements with him - and vice versa - at matches in Cork."

Colin Corkery expressed the footballers' support for the team doctor. "I don't think that's actually a big issue for the hurlers. Con Murphy goes to training sessions and matches for as long as I can remember. What he does for the players is extraordinary."

Speculation yesterday that the hurlers might issue a clarification on this matter hadn't come to anything last night. Fergal Ryan, one of the senior hurlers, said he hadn't heard anything about such a move. "Not as far as I'm aware but I haven't been talking to anyone today. Maybe I'll get a phone call later on."

The next move in the whole saga is up to the county board at tonight's meeting, which according to Forbes will be open to all media.