Limerick gets new four-man team

The Limerick county board has appointed a four-man interim management team to guide the county's senior hurlers following Joe…

The Limerick county board has appointed a four-man interim management team to guide the county's senior hurlers following Joe McKenna's resignation after Sunday's 17 point defeat to Clare.

Tony Hickey, Richie Bennis, Liam Lenihan, and Gary Kirby will guide the team until their participation in the championship comes to an end.

County chairman Denis Holmes said the trio had approached him with a view to helping Lenihan.  He also said long-term plans to appoint a new full-time manager are in place and will be discussed.

Hickey, the county's under-21 manager, and 1973 All-Ireland winner Bennis join Lenihan, who had served as selector to McKenna, as the principal figures on the new ticket.

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Kirby, a member of the Limerick All-Ireland final teams of 1996 and 1998, will primarily act on the day of games but will also play some role in the preparation of players.

In a radio interview a month ago, Kirby said he would consider putting his name forward as a future manager of the county team, but only when he felt the time was right.

The group of four will select one of itself to act as manager on any given match day.

Holmes said it had been difficult to pin-point precisely what had gone wrong in the county but said delegates were given an opportunity to express their views and concerns at last night's meeting.

"Liam Lenihan is also vice-chairman of the board and was very frank with the delegates and gave as fair an answer to all their questions as he could.

"I'd like to think we can now move forward. . .we can't let this type of thing happen again in the future."

McKenna and coach Ger Cunningham resigned in the aftermath of Sunday's qualifier match defeat to Clare at Cusack Park in Ennis.