Tipperary GAA take down controversial column about Alan Flynn's 'bitching'

Tipperary GAA has taken down a column posted on its website which made remarks about Alan Flynn's "bitching" following Kiladangan's County Final replay win over Thurles Sarsfields last Sunday. 

"The View Column" on the County Board's website has since been taken down and all posts on social media deleted. 

In the national media, after his side's victory over Thurles Sarsfields in the senior hurling showcase, Kiladangan captain Alan  claimed he and his team-mates were “thrown under the bus” by Liam Cahill, the Tipperary senior hurling manager. 

At the end of 2022, Kiladangan had six players named on the Premier County panel but when Cahill took over as Tipp manager, that number was reduced to two in a 40-man squad. 

Kiladangan lost last year’s county final in a replay against north rivals Kilruane MacDonaghs and Flynn said the “absolutely ridiculous” squad selection was massive motivation for them to go one better this year.

Flynn’s brother Paul and Willie Connors, who were also omitted from the Tipp panel, were named man of the match in the drawn final and replay.

“We got thrown under the bus last year, not brought back in, and we were not happy about it at all,” said Flynn.

“I think they disregarded us as a club. It was absolutely ridiculous. You’re telling me there’s no one out there good enough to be on the Tipperary team? It’s absolutely madness.

“Finally, we get a chance to speak about it because I was asked about this before the county final, I wasn’t going to talk about it.

“To be honest, that was a massive thing that we wanted to show them that we’re well good enough to be on that Tipp panel.”

The column, posted on the Tipperary GAA website, stated: “What Alan Flynn has been mouthing off about in the media since the final in relation to Kiladangan players being left out of the Tipperary panel, is quite incredible and will certainly not do his teammates any favours when Liam Cahill sits down to pick his panel.

"The Kiladangan boys ‘were thrown under the bus’ by Cahill according to Flynn. Really? So Liam Cahill has some kind of vendetta against the club? He doesn’t want the best Tipperary players in his squad? Come off it."

The column added: "Flynn’s rant which extended as far as the Wexford County Board’s dismissal of Darragh Egan as Manager of the senior hurling team, was ill-timed, inappropriate and quite frankly, needless.

"Fair enough if Kiladangan were using their perceived slight as some kind of self motivation, but to go bitching and moaning on national media was quite frankly immature and unimpressive.

"Don’t expect too many calls to go direct from Ballingarry to Puckane following that rant."

Flynn hurled for six years with Tipperary, winning an All-Ireland title in 2019, but he insisted that claiming a second county title with his club ranks higher than that success four years ago.

“This is the pinnacle of your hurling career. Anyone who tells you, ‘You win the All-Ireland with county and that’s unbelievable’, this is the pinnacle.

“I’ve two now. If I was told I’d have two in my career, I’d say that’s the finest, I’ll hang up them boots.

“I’ve two of the biggest medals you can get. No matter what county you’re in, if you can win your county senior final, it’s the biggest medal you can get in hurling.

“I’m just happy to have two of them in my back pocket now.”