GAA president Seán McCague has defended the association against criticism that not enough is being done to encourage hurling in weaker counties.

Last week it was announced the Hurling Development Group - an ad hoc group drawn from the weaker hurling counties, which had earlier issued a redevelopment plan for reviving the game - had gained the support of the Gaelic Players Association.

"My view is that there is a lot more development ongoing and a bigger increase in clubs from 1986 onwards due to the hurling development that's ongoing. The number of clubs playing hurling has increased and I'm not sure what exactly the problems are perceived to be.

"I haven't seen any correspondence to Croke Park in relation to what the complaints may be but if it's in terms of the finance going in I can give you figures for that tomorrow.

"There's huge finance going into the development of hurling in weaker counties and they're certainly not being overlooked. There's been millions of pounds spent on this."

McCague accepted there were problems in promoting the game above the Galway-Dublin line where counties for the most part prioritise football and where not a single senior All-Ireland has been won in 116 years of championships.

"It's always a problem if you're expecting people to promote something they're not passionate about. Obviously the degree of passion that people in a football club will devote to football is something that they will see as their priority.

"Naturally that's going to happen but it's not satisfactory as far as I'm concerned. If they're not able to do it themselves they should tap into the games promotion officers or others who have a passion for the game."

Lack of tradition and consequent lack of success create a dearth of qualified personnel, which is very debilitating within areas where hurling is attempting to gain some sort of a foothold. As a Monaghan man McCague is familiar with this.

"The difficulty is one of personnel largely in the weaker counties where hurling is weak because they don't have the confidence themselves. Consequently it's only those in the hurling clubs that are prepared to go out and get things done."

"Credibility with young people is non-existent: 'you've never won anything, what would you know about it?' In some counties it may not be getting the emphasis at county committee level because people from the hurling clubs may not be voicing their concerns where it should matter."

In its revelopment plan the Hurling Development Group anticipates criticism of its right to put forward proposals.

"The GAA bosses may say that we do not represent anybody, and have no right to suggest change, except through official club channels in the form of motions to county boards, but since all and every one of the people on this committee are fully paid up members of the GAA, we have every right to float constructive ideas."

But McCague says that he believes the association is open-minded and accessible to recommendations and criticism from outside its official structures.

"We're a very democratic organisation and anybody that ever writes in in a personal capacity, we always take on board and correspond with them. We realise people feel passionately about our games and it's good that they do."

Meanwhile, DJ Carey is to miss the next few weeks of the National Hurling League after fracturing a finger in Kilkenny's recent challenge match against All-Ireland club champions Birr who defend their title in two weeks against Dunloy. Carey could be absent for the balance of the first-phase matches.

There was, however, better news for manager Brian Cody with the return to fitness of both Charlie Carter and Noel Hickey after injury. Both will be available for Sunday's home clash with Galway in Nowlan Park.

In Cork it has emerged that Diarmuid O'Sullivan has decided to concentrate on hurling for the year ahead.

The All-Ireland winning hurler decided to embark on a dual career 12 months ago but despite early promise has struggled to break through into first-team football.