Tomas Mulcahy column: Is the Rebel war over? Anybody from outside looking in at Cork over the last few months is now thinking that we have lost the plot completely and what has been going on over the last few weeks has nothing got to do with sport. Gerald McCarthy's resignation has split the whole county in half and has had the effect of splitting the clubs also. Who in their right minds would have wanted this from the outset and who would have thought that it would take almost four months to sort this mess out? Is it sorted? No not by a long shot, but at least we have movement which I believe is in the right direction and hopefully will result in closure for Gerald McCarthy and his family. Just spare a thought for the stress and damage caused by some thugs issuing threats to his family while he was away on holidays. This has gone beyond sport in my opinion and no doubt hastened Gerald's departure from the Cork scene. His family had enough - they could take no more and rightly so. There were a lot of rights and wrongs on both sides and both have readily admitted that but there is no way Gerald McCarthy needed it to be finished this way. Hopefully he can now move on and enjoy the summer with his family without the invasion of his private life. Enough said about the Rebels now, we created this problem ourselves and nobody should have any sympathy for us. It is time for closure. National Hurling Leagues There have been some cracking games played over the last few weeks with Waterford v Kilkenny being the pick of them. Kilkenny hate losing any game and losing to Waterford will have hurt them but there is only one answer to a defeat and that is to bounce back immediately and the Cats duly obliged by thumping Galway, Tipperary and Cork. Two defeats in a row do not happen too often and that win certainly upped the ante and heaped pressure on John McIntyre and his Galway team in that particular match to such an extent that the manager let his feelings be known in the public arena and in my book that would not have gone down well with players at all. There will be further tests down the road for John McIntyre and he needs to keep his powder dry for a while and build a team capable of challenging the Cats come championship time - that's when he will be judged. Waterford on the other hand are motoring nicely under Davy Fitzgerald and confidence in the team will have been restored a little by that win over Kilkenny but that will not repair the damage for last years defeat in the All-Ireland. He needs to find a few new players in key positions and blend them in with some of the older lads. Whether they are there or not remains to be seen but a serious run to a league final would do the world of wonders for new players as it is the next best thing to championship hurling and he would see at first hand the strength in depth and their ability to perform at the highest level. Do not write Waterford off yet! The Banner boys, despite the results, have found some new talent to mix with the experienced heads. It all points to a serious campaign in Munster again. Limerick under Justin McCarthy have not set the world alight but the manager knows that his biggest day in the sun will come in championship time and an eagerly awaited contest against Waterford, even allowing for their league win over the same opposition. Wexford and Offaly have given youth its chance in the last year or so and will obviously hope they are more experienced now than ever before and have grown accustomed to the demands of inter county hurling. Anthony Daly in the capital is making steady progress and if he can persuade some of the footballers to give him a commitment to the small ball, he might cause a few upsets and surprises before the summer is out. Pat Gilroy has not ruled out the possibility of some of these guys playing both and that has to be a positive thing. Playing championship games in hurling and football on the same day will no doubt raise the profile of the hurling team but will also dismiss the intention of the dual player playing in both. But when bright nights arrive and the grass is cut and their is a bit of warmth in the air, nobody will look beyond the Cats again - in their quest for a four in a row - a feat only done once before by the Rebel County. Tweet

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