Limerick's disaffected hurlers have issued a statement claiming that a concerted effort is being made to end their resistance against manager Justin McCarthy with junior members of the stayaway group being particularly targeted.
There remain 24 senior Treaty County stars keeping their distance from the county panel amid the dispute with the McCarthy regime. The Cork native infuriated senior players when he left a host of them out of his panel for this year, but James O'Brien has since returned to play for the Limerick side, which has lost both of their opening 2010 NHL Division One games to Galway and Cork.
Rumours suggest that a number of others are close to following O'Brien back on board, but the stayway group - who have been undergoing training under former Limerick trainer Derry O'Donovanin an effort to be fit to turn out should the crisis be resolved - insist that they remain firm in their stance despite McCarthy continuing to get the backing of the county board.
In their statement, the 2009 squad called on club delegates to address the issue with the board this week, saying: "There has been a deliberate and concerted effort by members of the county board, the team management and the backroom team to influence the thinking of club delegates and the wider Limerick public.
"There has also been a deliberate and concerted effort by members of the county board, the team management and the backroom team to influence the younger players who have pulled out of the 2010 panel, with huge pressure being put on, using one player against another in trying to persuade them to change their minds.
"At this stage we feel the need to make our position crystal clear - we will not play under the current management; despite rumours, stories and spins to the contrary, most of that coming from the county board and the current management team. There will be no more players returning to training with the current management team.
"It is now up to the club delegates to address the matter with the county board executive on Tuesday night next - the future of Limerick hurling is in their hands."
Limerick face McCarthy's former side Waterford in their third league outing of the season on Sunday.