Brian McEniff, manager of the Ireland International Rules team, has confirmed his selectors and plans for the summer's preparations. It had been known for a number of weeks that Paddy Clarke, the Louth manager, would be one of the selectors and as expected Kerry selector John O'Keeffe has been appointed to complete the management team for the visit of Australia in October.
O'Keeffe was one of former manager Colm O'Rourke's selectors in Australia last year and was favoured to be offered the same position in order to maintain continuity in the back-room team. Mickey Moran, the Sligo manager and former Derry coach, is the other outgoing selector.
"I spoke to Mickey at a challenge in Enniskillen," says McEniff. "I said that I couldn't really appoint another selector from Ulster. I've worked closely with Art McRory (Tyrone manager) in the Railway Cup and I'd love to involve him but I needed more of a geographical spread."
Regardless of such considerations, Moran is believed not to have been keen to renew his involvement for a further two years.
"John O'Keeffe keeps continuity with the management team of last year. He's involved with Kerry and will be able to cover the deep south for us. I've known Paddy Clarke for a number of years. He's a good coach whom I have admiration and respect for. He's done well with Louth and will keep an eye on Leinster for us."
McEniff's own involvement with the International Rules series goes back to the 1980s when the visiting Australians played against selections from the provinces in warm-up matches. He took charge of the Ulster teams in 1984, when they beat the tourists, and also in 1987. For this, his first year in charge of the national team, he will adopt the same preparation schedule as his predecessor.
"We'll organise a trial in late June with players from the counties who have been knocked out of the championship. Then in July, we'll start training on Saturday mornings and I'll approach the managers of the provincial winners to try and get some of their players released for sessions in August." The test matches take place this year on October 8th and 15th.
Louth and Dublin will play each other tomorrow in Drogheda in their last challenge matches before the championship openers against Kildare and Wexford respectively on June 11th. The match is the climax to the Newtown Blues Festival Week to raise funds for the club's £90,000 redevelopment project.
