GAELIC GAMES: Tipperary hurling was yesterday re-trenching after the dropping of captain Ger 'Redser' O'Grady and Micheál Webster from the senior panel. Both players had featured in last week's narrow Munster final defeat by Cork.
Manager Michael 'Babs' Keating told this newspaper that he believed his team could bounce back from the controversy with their All-Ireland challenge stronger than ever.
He was commenting after the county board had issued a statement clarifying the situation after rumours swept the county that five players, including O'Grady and Webster, had been suspended for socialising in contravention of the team's disciplinary code.
The statement explained that the action had been taken after a meeting between management, the team trainer Brian Murray, and the county officers.
"Their deliberations included a review of the panel," ran the statement, "looking at the team training schedule and adherence to the guidelines which put the behavioural onus on all county players.
"This has resulted in two players, Ger O'Grady and Micheál Webster not presently holding down a permanent position on the Tipperary Senior Hurling panel. Their status will be finalised in the coming weeks.
"The Tipperary Senior Hurling management can confirm that the players that they wish to be part of the panel for the All-Ireland Quarter-Final were training last evening."
Keating, while declining to comment on the players involved, said that it was important for the team to respect the support they were now getting in the county.
"I went to Killarney two years ago and the Cork fans outnumbered us by three to one. You didn't see that last Sunday. We've recently had some of the biggest and most successful fund-raisers and there is a responsibility on all of us involved in the team to respect that support.
"The most disciplined team in the championship is the Cork hurlers. We have to match them off the field as well as on it. I think we'll be better as a result of this."
Although the status of O'Grady and Webster is to be reviewed, it is most unlikely that the former will play any further role in the county's season. He didn't attend a team meeting organised for last Monday after the Munster final.
Webster's position is believed to be more based on fitness than disciplinary grounds, but he is unlikely to feature in the All-Ireland quarter-final at the end of the month.
Although a number of other players are believed to have breached the disciplinary guidelines on Tuesday night, this was not cited as reason for the punishments. All of those players trained on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, champions Kilkenny make four changes for tomorrow's Leinster final with Wexford. The injured Michael Kavanagh is replaced by Noel Hickey, returning from injury himself, and in the forwards Eddie Brennan is recalled in place of Willie O'Dwyer.
Michael Rice, who played well when coming on as a replacement against Westmeath, also starts, instead of Eoin McCormack.
KILKENNY: J McGarry; D Cody, JJ Delaney, N Hickey; J Tyrrell (capt), J Tennyson, T Walsh; D Lyng, R Mullally; E Brennan, J Fitzpatrick, M Rice; M Comerford, E Larkin, H Shefflin. Subs: PJ Ryan, B Hogan, J Ryall, S Maher, M Fennelly, J Dalton, W O'Dwyer, A Murphy, P Cleere, S Cummins, E McCormack, R Power, M Kavanagh, S O'Neill, R O'Neill.
