GAA:GALWAY AND Meath are the only two counties going into this evening's draw for the 2011 football championship still looking to fill their senior football manager positions, writes Ian O'Riordan.
Galway had initially narrowed down their search to four candidates, although there is now speculation they may look beyond these four — and possibly outside the county — before making their final choice. Galway football board chairman John Joe Holleran has confirmed that it may be next week before a name is submitted to club delegates for ratification, and that the sub-committee charged with finding a new manager did have the power to go outside the four nominated and interviewed, if desired – although this was unlikely.
Galway minor manager Gerry Fahy and former Westmeath manager Tomás Ó Flatharta were the initial front-runners for the position to succeed Joe Kernan, but also fancied now is Peter Warren, who was a selector with John O’Mahony when Galway won the All-Ireland title in 1998 and 2001, and finally Annaghdown’s Matt Duggan hasn’t yet been ruled out.
The situation in Meath is more complicated with 13 nominations submitted for consideration, although not all of these will actually be going forward. County board chairman Barney Allen, former DRA secretary Liam Keane and 1988 All-Ireland-winning captain Joe Cassells have been charged with identifying their preferred candidate, with the intention of naming their man within the next three weeks.
Outgoing manager Eamonn O’Brien – who was controversially outvoted for another year in charge – is in fact resubmitted, with the original list of 13 also including Liam Harnan, Colm O’Rourke, Paddy Carr, Eamonn Barry, Gerry McEntee, Jody Devine, Gerry Cooney, Damien Sheridan, Seán Kelly, Pat Coyle, Tony Kearney and Séamus McEnaney, who recently departed Monaghan. The likes of McEntee and O’Rourke, however, have already indicated that they wouldn’t be interested in the position at this time.
Interestingly, 10 football counties will have new managers in place for 2011: Cavan, Donegal, Derry, Fermanagh, Monaghan, Mayo, Galway, Limerick, Meath, and Laois – one of the highest turnovers of recent years. Of these, at least six will be rookie managers next season: former Armagh defender Justin McNulty, who takes charge of Laois, John Brennan in Derry, Maurice Horan in Limerick, Donegal’s Jim McGuinness, James Horan in Mayo and John O’Neill in Fermanagh.
The draw for the 2011 football championship follows the usual format, and gets underway in Croke Park this evening at 8pm (live on RTÉ2). This is followed by the hurling draw, and in that case, there are only two new managers in place for 2011: Donal O’Grady in Limerick and former Kilkenny and Ballyhale hurler Brendan Fennelly in Laois.
Only in the cases of Laois and Limerick are there changes in both hurling and football, although this is on the assumption that Brian Cody will continue for a 13th season as Kilkenny hurling manager, and likewise Liam Sheedy for a fourth season as Tipperary hurling manager – and so far there is nothing to suggest they won’t.
On Tuesday night, Joe Dooley was ratified as Offaly hurling manager for a fourth year, making him Offaly’s longest serving manager since Eamonn Cregan, who stepped down in 1996 after four years at the helm. Outgoing selectors Pat McLoughney and Brendan Kelly were also returned, while former Galway hurler Francis Forde has been added to the management set-up as a coach. An All-Ireland under-21 medallist in 1993, Forde was corner forward on the Galway team that captured the National League three years later.
Westmeath rejoin the Leinster hurling championship next year as winners of the Christy Ring Cup — this increasing to 14 the number of counties that make up the top-tier hurling championship. Their hurling manager, Kevin Martin, has yet to officially commit to another season but the expectation is that he will.
The revised format of the 2011 Leinster hurling championship was announced earlier this week, and sees four counties (Laois, Carlow, Antrim and Westmeath) go into an open draw to contest a preliminary round; the two winners from there join four more counties in three quarter-finals (Galway, Dublin, Offaly and Wexford), also made on an open draw; and finally the three winners from there join Kilkenny in the semi-finals, those pairings also made on an open draw.
COUNTY MANAGERS 2011
FOOTBALL
CONNACHT– Galway: vacant; Leitrim: Mickey Moran (third year); Mayo: James Horan (first year); Roscommon: Fergal O'Donnell (third year); Sligo: Kevin Walsh (second year).
LEINSTER– Carlow: Luke Dempsey (third year); Dublin: Pat Gilroy (third year); Longford: Glenn Ryan (third year); Offaly: Tom Cribbin (third year); Kildare: Kieran McGeeney (fourth year); Laois: Justin McNulty (first year); Louth: Peter Fitzpatrick (second year); Meath: vacant; Westmeath: Pat Flanagan (second year); Wexford: Jason Ryan (fourth year); Wicklow: Mick O'Dywer (fourth year).
MUNSTER– Cork: Conor Counihan (to decide on fourth year); Clare: Michael McDermott (second year); Kerry: Jack O'Connor (third year); Limerick: Maurice Horan (first year); Tipperary: John Evans (third year); Waterford: John Owens (second year).
ULSTER– Antrim: Liam Bradley (third year); Armagh: Paddy O'Rourke (second year); Cavan: Val Andrews (first year); Derry: John Brennan (first year); Donegal: Jim McGuinness (first year); Down: James McCartan (second year); Fermanagh: John O'Neill (first year); Monaghan: Eamonn McEneaney (first year); Tyrone: Mickey Harte (ninth year).
HURLING(Liam MacCarthy Cup contenders only)
LEINSTER– Laois: Brendan Fennelly (first year); Carlow: Kevin Ryan (third year); Antrim: Dinny Cahill (second year); Westmeath: Kevin Martin (subject to confirmation); Galway: John McIntyre (third year); Dublin: Anthony Daly (third year); Offaly: Joe Dooley (fourth year); Wexford: Colm Bonner (third year); Kilkenny: Brian Cody (13th year).
MUNSTER– Cork: Denis Walsh (third year); Tipperary: Liam Sheedy (fourth year); Waterford: Davy Fitzgerald (fourth year); Clare: Ger O'Loughlin (second year); Limerick: Donal O'Grady (first year).
