Ballyboden St Enda's manager Liam Hogan believes there are a number of problems within Dublin hurling that need to be addressed before the county can move to the next level. The Dublin county board are currently searching for a new manager, which has turned into a prolonged affair and Hogan has stressed that the current state of club hurling in the county has been a turn off for any potential suitors. "I see a lot of things wrong with Dublin hurling. When there's a lull in the inter-county scene, Tipp, Cork and Kilkenny -- all the big powers in hurling -- allow their players back to their clubs to play club championship," said the Coolderry native. "We got our full panel together this year for the first time in or around the second-last week of August. Until then, we were missing all of the county boys. Being honest, for most of the summer, we had eight or 10 players at training sessions. How do you prepare a club team when that sort of thing is going on? "We played our first game in the championship in April, then we had a virtual six-month lay-off. So there's a lot wrong with it." Hogan also believes that Dublin hurlers are being denied their strongest side as he feels players are been forced into choosing football over the small ball game in recent years. "If the will is there, I see no reason why Conal Keaney couldn't play with the Dublin hurlers," says Hogan. "He's a sports fanatic. There are certain places I might pass in the car and I'd just know that he'll be out with David Curtin and Emmet Carroll and others, just banging a ball around. "Or he's down at the skills wall in Ballyboden with a sliotar any time you pass. The only thing he lacks when he comes back to us is match practice. The skills are there and the fitness is there. I played with Offaly in the late '70s and early '80s. Liam Currams and Danny Owens were on the football panel. "They had no problem playing with us. It was just a matter of coming to an agreement between Eugene McGee and Diarmuid Healy. I didn't see any problem back then, so why should there be one now?" Tweet

Most Read Stories