The Limerick hurling manager John Kiely was speaking to RTÉ Radio 1’s Sunday Sport and wasn’t happy with two pundits in particular over the claim that some of Limerick’s medical staff have turned into extra coaches/messengers on the pitch.
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Quoted via balls.ie
“The bottom line, when your medical team are being asked to be spoken to a week after two pundits are talking nonsense about us using our medical team as some sort of tactical messengers going into the pitch,” said Kiely.
“All of a sudden, there’s a huge emphasis today on our medical team going into the field. They’re only going into the field because players like Mike Casey have a cut, they have a bang to the head, because they’ve got a tight hamstring.”
“They’re not going in for any tactical purpose. They’re on our team because they’re doctors and physios. They’re not selectors, they’re not coaches. This is nonsense, and it’s all because they took away the maor foirne, and now anybody who goes into the field is seen as a messenger. They’re not messengers, they’re medics.
“That was disappointing today, that a week after two pundits highlight this nonsense – which is absolute, utter and total nonsense – that suddenly there’s an emphasis today. I’ve never, ever seen a medical team to be called for at half-time by any official officiating a game. To be fair, I was very surprised by it, but I had called it during the week, that this week our medical team would be targeted. What happened? They were.
“I hope it’s the end of it. It’s nonsense, just overanalysis by some people who should know better.”