The Galway camogie manager Mark Dunne believes the reasons behind the removal of he and his management team are 'frankly pathetic', and has questioned 'the motives of certain county board officers and their intentions for Galway camogie'.
In a report initially published in the Irish Examiner, the position held by Dunne and his backroom team was deemed untenable after revelations that one of Dunne's staff, Niall Corcoran, had 'conducted one-on-one coaching sessions with Cork goalkeeper Aoife Murray throughout the summer'.
An All-Ireland minor medal-winner with Galway and a corner-back on Dublin's 2013 Leinster winning side, Corcoran's extra-curricular sessions were known to Dunne.
Taking place while the camogie championship was ongoing, the Galway county board ultimately decided however that these actions sufficiently constituted a breach of interest and have decided to part with all parties involved.
Airing his concerns via a three-page letter emailed to club officials in Galway, Dunne outlined his understanding of Corcoran's sessions and failed to see any particular issue:
Niall informed me throughout the year he lends a hand with training to some inter-county hurlers and camogie players based in Dublin.
He informed me one of those players was the Cork senior camogie goalkeeper. I was happy for Niall to continue providing coaching sessions to those players as long as there was no conflict of interest in his role with the Galway team.
He assured me full trust and confidentiality in relation to his role with the Galway senior camogie team.
Perhaps the most damning element of Corcoran's involvement came as a result of Galway meeting Cork in this year's All-Ireland semi-final.
During a clash Galway lost 2-09 to 1-09 in Limerick's Gaelic Grounds, Cork's Murray converted what would ultimately become a decisive first-half penalty.
However, Dunne, who had served only his first year in this management role, remains adamant that all is not as it seems:
Niall had played this role before as in 2013 he coached both the Galway and Clare camogie players based in Dublin and was part of the Galway set-up on All-Ireland final day in 2013.
This was never a secret and none of the management had an issue with this.
As such, Dunne believes that the Galway county board have given an 'unacceptable and unfair explanation' while removing them from this role:
We believe this is not the main issue as to why our positions have been terminated.
Hinting toward alternative issues that county board members may have harboured against him and his backroom team, Dunne was careful in suggesting that these revelations of his own are 'not intended to be used as a means for me or my management team to be reinstated for 2018.'
