The Carlow senior football squad has strongly refuted claims that “player-related issues” led to the sudden departure of manager Shane Curran and his backroom team, just days before their Leinster championship opener against Meath.
Curran resigned unexpectedly on Wednesday, with the Carlow County Board releasing a statement attributing his departure to “player-related issues which he believed were beyond the scope of the management team.” However, in a statement released today, Carlow’s players rejected this explanation, insisting that their concerns about the team’s organisation and training environment had been ongoing for months.
The players emphasized that the claim of “player-related issues” unfairly questioned their commitment to the team. They highlighted that concerns about the overall structure of training had been raised repeatedly with both the management and county board. These frustrations, they stated, had led to some players opting out of the panel and a selector stepping away from the coaching staff.
Addressing the claim that some players staying in London after last Sunday’s narrow victory over London in Ruislip indicated a lack of commitment, the squad asserted that this arrangement had been agreed upon with management beforehand. They stressed that as amateur athletes, their personal decisions should not be used as a means to shift focus from larger issues within the team setup.
“To suggest the players lack commitment—particularly by referencing players staying in London after a game—is both unfair and misleading,” the players’ statement read. “This had been communicated and agreed with management in advance. We are amateur athletes, and what we do in our personal lives should not be used to deflect from other issues.”
The statement also expressed the players’ reluctance to speak publicly on the matter but explained that they felt compelled to respond after their dedication to the team had been questioned. “We did not want to make any public comment on this and would have preferred to part ways with the management team as amicably as possible. Now we feel we have no other choice as our character and dedication to the Carlow jersey has been questioned.”
The players concluded by reaffirming their focus on their upcoming championship clash against Meath and extended well wishes to the outgoing management team.
Carlow now faces the challenge of heading into their Leinster championship campaign without a manager. Their opening fixture is scheduled for next Sunday in Páirc Tailteann against Meath.
Curran, a former Roscommon goalkeeper, was appointed Carlow manager last autumn, replacing Niall Carew. In his sole season at the helm, Carlow finished fourth in Division 4 of the league, securing three wins, three losses, and a draw, finishing three points short of promotion.
