A HECTIC SCHEDULE of three games in six days – a Munster U21 final, a senior league semi-final and a club championship match – helped cause a hamstring injury that robs Cork of a key defender for next Sunday’s league showdown.
Brian O’Driscoll will sit out the final against Dublin in Croke Park. O’Driscoll’s father Gene, the coach of senior divisional outfit Carbery, was critical last week of the decision to organise a county championship game for last Tuesday night.
‘I’m disgusted with the people who fixed this game,” he told The Southern Star newspaper.
“Asking to a player to represent his county on Thursday night last in a Munster U21 final and then on Sunday in a senior league semi-final in Croke Park and to play again (on Tuesday) shows very little respect for player.”
Gene was part of the management team for the Cork U21′s who lost out to Tipperary in the provincial decider. Brian had been troubled by hamstring injuries earlier this year which affected his participation for the Cork U21′s and the UCC Sigerson Cup team.
His older brother Colm, who has been a regular at wing-forward during the league for Cork, highlighted yesterday the need for the burden on players to be eased.
“If you’re playing a championship game two days later, you can’t do that in my opinion. You just can’t be mentally fresh. You’ve got to give players a chance and it gives people a chance to see good players play their best.
“I think it’s too much for a fella. When you’ve got a player of that quality, every team wants him on their side which is fair enough. Fellas have got to get a break and take a bit of time in between games.”
