Limerick manager John Kiely says he is keeping the New York incident ‘in-house’

It’s been a tumultuous off-season for the Limerick hurling squad. Since their narrow All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kilkenny, their 2020 preparations have been hindered by off-field issues.

Last month two members of their travelling party were sent home from New York over an alleged incident, after the Super 11s tournament at Citi Field.

Speaking to the media for the first time since the issue arose, Kiely stressed that the disciplinary process has been dealt with in-house.

“I think we made it clear at the time when we issued our statement that there wasn’t going to be any further comment on the matter,” he said, at the launch of the 2020 Co-Op Superstores Munster Hurling League.

For those unable to access our website at the minute. The following is the statement issued this lunchtime pic.twitter.com/l9aQ441CyI

“It is an internal matter. It is like any organisation I am sure, disciplinary matters in a newspaper or a radio station. You are not going to be going out and airing them in the public after. It is like all disciplinary matters they are handled in-house. As far as we are concerned the matter is closed.

“We are back training since last Tuesday and 2019 has been concluded and we are looking forward to 2020 with great anticipation. We have a lot of changes in our backroom team and a number of players who have joined the group. We are very much looking forward to 2020.”

When asked if the players in question have returned to the squad for preseason training, he declined to clarify.

“I won’t be issuing any panel to the public for a number of weeks yet,” he noted.

Video technology

The Treaty’s exit from the 2019 championship was shrouded in controversy, as they were denied a late 65.

This led to calls for further video technology being introduced for the assistance of referees.

“There is a fairly wide acceptance that there is room for improvement in that area,” Kiely noted. “And we are all very much willing to buy into anything that will improve the accuracy of what we are doing on match day. There is a huge amount at stake be it in a Munster final, or an All-Ireland semi-final or final. These games come down to such small margins. If we can ensure that everybody goes home knowing that the result is the correct result, and the right result, and that correct decisions were taken on the day by whatever means that is possible without interrupting the flow of the game obviously.

“You don’t want to end up with a soccer VAR where people are walking off the field to look at a screen, nobody wants that. But if there was a mechanism by which we could make a call on the sideline to ask whoever is upstairs looking at these cameras and screens, who can see exactly what has happened and to slow it down. To get the correct decision. If it takes 30 seconds, 40 seconds to do that through the fourth official, I think that is a fantastic idea and one that I think all management teams would be very supportive of, in terms of ensuring the correct decisions are found.

“We do have the technology this is not something we have to create, we already have these in place. It is just a case of being able to refer to it on matchday.

“All of these guys, every county, the effort these guys are putting in now, nine or ten months before the All-Ireland final. You would have to appreciate what they go through to get themselves to those points in their careers, in their season. And for it to be influenced by a poor decision that could be clarified on the day by a simple referral to a video assistance, I think that would be a very positive move.”

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