Mike McNamara has been confirmed as Offaly's new senior hurling manager, getting a three-year term that it is hoped will re-establish some consistency in the county's hurling fortunes.
The Offaly county board last night also ratified McNamara's three selectors, all with long hurling associations in the county - Pat Delaney, Paddy Kirwan and Ger Fogarty. Delaney was a former Offaly star and manager of Laois last year, Kirwan was recent Offaly minor manager and coach last year of Laois county champions Castletown, while Fogarty comes from the renowned family of Offaly hurlers.
Incredibly McNamara's appointment represents the seventh change of management for the county's senior hurlers in the past six years - a turnover unrivalled by any other county. After Eamonn Cregan stepped down in 1996, John McIntyre took over for a year, followed in 1998 by Babs Keating and then Michael Bond in the same season.
Bond moved on a year later, to be replaced by Pat Fluery in 2000. Bond was back in 2001, before Fr Tom Fogarty took charge last season. Originally Fogarty had expressed an interest in staying on for another year, but the county board decided to undertake a wider search for the 2003 season.
McNamara became the clear favourite to take over the position once his previous role with the Galway hurling management ended. Earlier this month Galway voted to replace Noel Lane with Conor Hayes, a move that ended McNamara's term as trainer.
He had held the same position as trainer with Clare during the successful era of the mid-1990s, a time when his exhaustive training techniques were a key part of the county's breakthrough under the management of Ger Loughnane.
A Scariff publican, he now takes over what is regarded as one of the more difficult jobs on the inter-county scene. The county hasn't retained a manager for two full years since Cregan stepped down in 1996, and the backbone of the great side that won two All-Irelands in the 1990s has gradually broken up.
Right now the likes of Brian Whelahan, Johnny Dooley and Joe Errity are all contemplating whether or not to come back for another season. While McNamara's notoriously vigorous training methods may lean those players towards retirement, it is accepted that the county needs a new approach to help accelerate the transition of the younger players, and build on the continuing success of Birr at club level.
With McNamara now filling the Offaly opposition, there are still four counties without a senior manager in place - with hurling vacancies in Dublin, Cork and Laois, and a football vacancy in Donegal.
The search in Dublin only started yesterday with the announcement that Kevin Fennelly would not be continuing for a third year. There had been some speculation that Nicky English would be considered having recently stepped down from the Tipperary position, but the Dublin County Board have indicated that English is intent on taking a break and wouldn't be considered.
Progress in Cork has been slow, though the County Board remains intent on finding a replacement for Bertie Óg Murphy before their annual convention on December 8th. Laois are a lot closer to filling their vacancy, with an announcement likely to come next Monday.
Donegal, however, are still no closer to finding a replacement for Mickey Moran. County Board secretary Noreen Doherty, part of the committee set up to identify a replacement, admitted yesterday it wasn't proving to be an easy task.
The GAA, meanwhile, has issued a brief statement on the matter of Croke Park being made available for the 2008 European soccer championships, re-iterating the fact that the Taoiseach's request had in fact been made in writing back on September 16th.
The Association has already explained that its Central Council considered the Taoiseach's request on October 25th, and directed that a decision in the matter could only be taken at the Annual General Congress.
