CATS' HOGAN KNOWS BEST; HURLING KILKENNY ACE ON REBEL ROW Richie: We're lucky to have unity in Kilkenny.

Byline: BY PAT NOLAN 

IF continuity is a problem in Cork, it's a blessing in Kilkenny, says Richie Hogan.

With 30 Cork hurlers united in frustration at a compelling press conference on Monday night, captain John Gardiner identified long-serving county secretary Frank Murphy as "being responsible for the last three strikes".

Though they stopped short of calling for his resignation, it was suggested that the same person holding such a pivotal position for 35 years was unhealthy.

Some Cork players spoke enviously of the structures in Kilkenny, where a dissenting voice is hardly ever heard.

In Kilkenny, the five-year rule led to a changing of the guard on the county board just over a year ago - but the key personnel remain the same, albeit in different positions.

"I've known nothing else because I'm young enough," said rising Kilkenny star Richie Hogan on the harmony in the county.

"I've known nothing else only the county board that's been there for the last 10 years. They're fantastic. As regards Brian Cody, he's been there for the same length of time.

"In a way maybe success has got a small bit to do with it. Everybody's happy when everybody's winning but opinions change with different personnel and that.

"It's hard to know why we don't argue so much, I suppose the players just do what they're told!" he joked.

"You won't be around much longer and chances are few and far between so I suppose that's probably the height of it really."

Hogan was unsure about how the presence of a third or fourth string Cork team in this year's league and Championship would impact on the status of the competitions.

"Last year we were due to play Cork in the first round and it was cancelled as well, we got a walkover.

"The absenteeism of a couple of players from one team wouldn't devalue a whole season but it would put a bit of a sour patch on the whole Championship in general if you had that kind of controversy in a county.

"I don't really know much about the situation but it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to know that there's something wrong somewhere.

"There's two extremes down there and they probably have to meet somewhere in the middle whether they like it or not.

Both sides aren't going to be happy at the end of it.

"From players' point of view, careers are short and a compromise would probably be the best at this stage.

"Everybody wants to see that, some sort of as compromise because there's great hurlers down there," added Hogan, who was speaking at the launch of the Ulster Bank Fitzgibbon and Sigerson Cups at Croke Park yesterday.

However a former Cork captain, Alan Browne, who was at the coalface in the first dispute back in 2002, sees no chance of a compromise, with Gerald Mc-Carthy determined to stay on as manager though last year's panel remain adamant that they will not play for him.

He said yesterday: "Mediation isn't going to work. The 30 players have said that they're not going back unless there's change. Gerald has said that they're welcome back but that's not going to happen.

"Either Gerald McCarthy goes or the players go back playing - it's one or the other at this stage.

"The current players will not be sufficient for Cork to succeed and I can't see a bright future for a long time."

CAPTION(S):

BRIGHT FUTURE Richie Hogan is one of the rising stars of Kilkenny hurling; UNHAPPY Last year's Cork panel