GAELIC GAMES: WITH SOURCES in Clare indicating hurling manager Mike McNamara will step down in the next 48 hours, the focus has already switched to a potential successor with Waterford confirming Davy Fitzgerald is to remain as their manager next season.

Fitzgerald is an obvious candidate but Waterford secretary Tim O’Keeffe confirmed yesterday the former Clare goalkeeper is half way through a two-year term “and there is no question about him for 2010”.

Waterford are drawn against Clare in next summer’s Munster championship. Fitzgerald’s two new selectors are set to be announced at a county board meeting next Monday.

The Clare hurling panel met last Sunday night, voting 27 to one in favour of McNamara’s removal, with a signed letter (19 players previously submitted an unsigned document) believed to have been presented to county secretary Pat Fitzgerald.

It was reported over the weekend that 2009 captain Brian O’Connell and McNamara recently travelled to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ training ground in England as part of plans for pre-season training.

O'Connell, the Sunday Timesnoted, was uncontactable by his team-mates while on the trip, leading to confusion about the players' stance on McNamara's regime.

With the players seemingly faltering, McNamara was ratified for a third year in charge.

Such a lack of unity and coherent approach appears to have been addressed at last Sunday’s meeting.

McNamara is still due to provide his annual report to the county board next Tuesday but sources within the county expect him to step aside before then.

Speaking about the possibility of yet another winter of player/manager unrest, following on from the Cork hurling dispute last season, GAA president Christy Cooney stated the need for these disputes to cease.

“I think we have had enough of this over the years. It’s time we all moved on in a positive way. It takes both sides to deliver – the team management and the players.

“Clare won a wonderful under-21 (All-Ireland) title last year. It is important that Clare would be strong, in the hurling sense, for the association and I hope whatever difficulties would be ironed out fairly quickly and move forward.”

In the wake of the Cork player strike, Croke Park put together a document that attempts to streamline the appointment of inter-county managers.

“We’d like it to be open,” said Cooney. “We’d like that they get the best. But, at the end of the day, they pick who they consider the best and who is going to deliver for the counties. That’s what we all want.

“There is no one perfect in this world. I’ve know Mick Mac a long time. He’s made an enormous contribution to hurling (in) Clare and (Offaly) and the club scene, as have the current crop of players, so I would hope they would all sit around and get things sorted as quickly as possible and be united in moving forward for the good of Clare hurling and that’s where the county board responsibility lies, in pulling them all together.”

On the manager appointment document, Cooney elaborated: “Really it was to put a template in place about the type of interview process that should take place. The type of standards required. The type of coaching expertise that’s required. Man management skills that are required.

“We didn’t advocate an involvement with current players but we advocate an involvement of expertise within the county, maybe some former intercounty players, to pick the best person.”

Meanwhile, Cooney stated the international rules series remains alive, with the Australians due to tour Ireland next October.

“Our last correspondence with the AFL is that it is fully on track for next year so we expect them to be here, playing in the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick on the second last Sunday in October, with the final here in the last Sunday in October. There is going to be a two-year, home and away situation, so if you want to call it a gap year.”

Cooney was speaking at the launch of a limited edition €15 silver coin marking the 125th anniversary of the GAA. The launch was conducted in association with the Central Bank, whose assistant director general, Jim Cummins, was also present in Croke Park.

Ten thousand coins will be available to the public from November 4th, at a cost of €36.

The coins can be purchased from the Central Bank (1890 307 607) and also from the GAA Museum (01 8192323).

An official order form is available from the Central Bank by phoning 1890 307 607 or from the website, \ www.centralbank.ie.

The set may also be purchased directly from the Central Bank’s premises in Dame Street and from selected GAA outlets nationwide.