As the Cork football and hurling crisis worsens evidence has emerged of a more rounded support for the players. Ian O'Riordanreports

Nemo Rangers, the county football champions, yesterday gave their backing to the players' stance, and also revealed their belief that county managers should choose their own selectors - the issue which led to the players' strike in the first place - and that most other leading clubs felt the same.

Earlier yesterday it was confirmed the Cork hurlers wouldn't be fulfilling their Waterford Crystal Cup tie with Limerick IT, rescheduled for this evening, as the latest effort to find a breakthrough in the stand-off with the county board, which went late into Tuesday night, again failed.

Limerick IT get a walkover into Sunday's quarter-final against Clare. Although Cork won't be penalised, it's the first time in the history of the GAA a county team has failed to fulfil a fixture because of strike action, and it appears the Cork hurlers and footballers could also miss the opening rounds of next month's National League.

The secretary of Nemo Rangers, Alfie Herbert, has outlined what he believes is a broad level of support for the players and their stance that county managers be allowed choose their own selectors rather than the county board taking over that power. "Nemo Rangers were always in favour of retaining the status quo," said Herbert. "That's the way we voted and I would think the majority of other clubs felt the same. Because of that we would continue to back the players. And I can't see a way out of it right now unless that decision is reversed."

The Cork County Board, however, has repeatedly pointed to the two separate votes last October and November which brought about the change in that method of management selectors.

At the first meeting, delegates voted for a new rule that allowed the board appoint the senior team selectors. When this decision was greeted with the threat of strike action by the players it went to a second vote at the county board meeting on November 20th, but this resulted in the delegates voting 79-35 against allowing the football and hurling managers to choose their own selectors. Straightaway both county panels rejected the decision and announced their strike action.

"Perhaps that was the unanimous decision among the delegates on the night," added Herbert, "but the board would have a lot of influence on junior clubs and the like, and I suppose that created the balance of power. But I certainly feel the majority of senior clubs would still support the players, and wanted to remain with the status quo."

Herbert's comments suggest unease that the vote taken at the two meetings actually represent the feelings of most Cork clubs. Concerns have also been expressed that a large section of the clubs never voted on the issue. But there were other implications to that decision in that it reversed one of the agreements reached after the Cork players' strike of 2002, and has therefore turned it into something of a power struggle between the players and the county board.

On Tuesday night the board was exploring every possibility of fulfilling the Munster Cup fixture, even if it meant fielding an underage team. This wasn't approved by the senior players, and Newtownshandrum have expressed their unwillingness to make non-county players available.

Last night the board was unable to confirm when the next round of discussions would take place. Cork footballers are not due back from holiday in Argentina and Brazil until this weekend. What the board have been presenting as the most realistic compromise is the issue of selectors be revisited at the end of the season, but that doesn't appear to satisfy the players.

"The county board have suggested another vote at next year's convention," said Herbert, "maybe as a way of softening up the players, but I can't see that as a solution . . . There's also a real danger there that you could split clubs if the county board try to call up other players."

Given it will be next week at the earliest before discussions can resume, the race is on to find a resolution before Cork's opening National Football League tie against Meath on February 2nd, and their opening Hurling League game against Kilkenny on Sunday, February 10th.

The GAA weren't being drawn into the implications of Cork missing those and further games. GAA press officer Feargal McGill said: "We're confident a solution will be found . . . under rule 136, the only penalty for a team that doesn't fulfil a league fixture is the awarding of the game to their opponents, and a €400 fine."