Cork advice for Clare dispute

Cork hurler Ronan Curran has advised the Clare players to quickly sort out the row engulfing hurling in the county at the moment.

The Banner players are opposed to manager Mike McNamara and his backroom team, while the county board have backed him, leading to fears of a player strike similar to that in Cork last year.

Curran was part of the Cork squad that refused to play for the Rebel county due to disagreement with the county board's methods in appointing the senior hurling manager.

That strike lasted several months and led to the postponement of Allianz NHL matches.

Former All-Star Tony Griffin has already quit the Clare panel and Curran has urged the players to find a quick resolution.

He told The Examiner: 'The faster you can get something sorted, the better. Maybe both sides can come together and work something out. Once it escalates, things just get messy and no-one wants that.'

He went on: 'It does take a lot out of you. Half the thing is dodging people, dodging you guys (the media), dodging any questions that come. Then you have all the meetings. There's a lot in it, the worry and the nerves of the whole thing. It also takes a lot out of management and whoever else is involved with the thing.

'It's somewhere no-one wants to be and the faster it's sorted out in Clare, the better.'

A Clare player delegation led by captain Brian O'Connell are set to meet with County Board officials to outline their opposition to manager Mike McNamara staying in place for the 2010 season.