Antrim attacker Neil McManus claims the GAA snubbed the Saffrons and Kerry by omitting them from last month’s All-Ireland SHC series launch. The Loughmore Castleiney club in Tipperary hosted a media event with representatives of Limerick, Kilkenny, Cork, Wexford, Clare and Galway following the conclusion of the provincial finals.
But neither Antrim or Kerry were represented despite both counties having All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final ties against Cork and Wexford respectively the following weekend. Antrim manager Darren Gleeson said ‘as far as I’m aware, we weren’t invited’, something that left veteran forward McManus deeply frustrated.
“The fact neither Kerry nor Antrim players were present at the launch was very frustrating,” said McManus at the launch of the M Donnelly Poc Fada competition which takes place on August 1 in Cooley. “For somebody in my position who is very passionate about hurling and the development of it within my county, it was frustrating, but I felt sorry for Kerry as well.
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"They’ve put in a huge amount of work over the last three, four, five years and it was a real snub. It was a really, really poor day at the office for the GAA.”
McManus, who made his debut for Antrim in 2007, believes that with the county making strong progress in a number of areas, on and off the field, now is the time for the GAA to get behind them.
“I’m hoping the GAA understand that and grab that opportunity because it won’t be there forever,” he said. “Everything has kind of aligned; Antrim are starting to push on in their own right as a hurling team, Casement Park has got good news, hopefully we’re going to see the first sod turned on that, and then thirdly we have the financial ability now to make that push.
"If the GAA row in behind that and support things like Gaelfast then I believe it can come together.”
McManus praised the fundraising work of the Saffron Business Forum, revealing ‘we’re now able to do the things other counties were doing’.
He added: “People always use the example of the investment in Dublin but when I started with Antrim, in 2007, probably from then until 2011, we were beating Wexford much more often than they were beating us. Investment arrived with Davy Fitz coming in straight after Liam Dunne and things changed immediately.”
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