Hunt looks back at rebel Royals

FORMER Meath hurling manager John Hunt says that the small-ball game in the Royal county 'took the wrong turn' when some of the players refused to play under him when he was in charge. Hunt stepped down as manager of the Meath senior hurling team in 2004 after just over a year at the helm saying his position was made untenable following a demonstration of player power. The situation that developed in the Meath camp five years ago bears some resemblance to what has just happened in Offaly and what is currently unfolding in Cork. Instead of trying to weather the storm, as Gerald McCarthy is doing in the Rebel County, Hunt decided there was no point in staying in a position where he no longer had the backing of all the players. Clare man Hunt had brought in former Limerick boss Eamonn Cregan and fitness expert John Coughlan as part of his management team. Despite such initiatives some of the players were unconvinced the team was moving in the right direction. 'The players wanted to advance hurling in Meath to another level, but unfortunately people in Meath now know that was the wrong option,' he told the Meath Chronicle. 'When players have an antagonistic approach to what is taking place you"re going to have nothing but discomfort. 'I found myself in a situation where two or three players dictated the trend of what happened in Meath at the time and unfortunately, as far as I"m concerned, Meath hurling took the wrong option.' According to Hunt, the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) have a big say in what is happening in Cork and in his view the organisation also had a say in how events unfolded in Meath, although not to the same extent. Hunt said that he had contacted the GPA five times during the player revolt in Meath without getting a reply. He added that in his view some of the players were 'easily influenced' by elements within the players" organisation. Hunt also believes that the GPA are only helping the inflame the situation in Cork by staying silent. He added that he would have 'great sympathy' with McCarthy who he regards as an outstanding coach. 'I would have a lot of sympathy for any coach who finds himself in the same situation as we did ourselves with Meath,' he said. 'There"s not an awful lot you can do in a situation like that, Ger McCarthy, I suppose, stood up to the situation. 'In relation to other managers maybe they should do the same and then we would see how strong the GPA is in terms of dictating to the players what they should look for and what they should get,' he said. 'The difficulty we had is that one or two of the players refused to play under Eamonn Cregan, myself and John Coughlan. They felt we weren"t up to the task and maybe they felt that if we were gone Meath hurling would advance to a new level 'I"m afraid from what I see of Meath hurling, and no disrespect to those involved, it hasn"t advanced at all really. 'We won a Kehoe Cup after two or three months, it has taken them five years to win a Kehoe Cup since with the addition of new players from different counties. 'It tells you an awful lot about where Meath hurling has gone. It boils down to one or two players and until such time as they are no longer involved, Meath hurling won"t advance one iota,' he added. Hunt says he has no bitterness or issue with the players who rebelled during his term in charge of the Meath team. 'It was an unfortunate episode for hurling along the banks of the Boyne.' Sean Og O Halpin is a number of the Cork panel who is well-known to Hunt, but he still feels real empathy with McCarthy and his attempts to hold onto his position with as much dignity as he can. The Cork manager wasn"t the problem last August and September, but only became an issue in November and December claimed Hunt who is hoping to lead Cavan out of the NHL Div. 4 this year. He said he was very happy leading Cavan"s charge for a divisional title and was receiving full backing on all levels. Maybe, he added with a chuckle, the Breffni men could end up meeting Meath in Div 3 of the 2010 league campaign!