The GAA inter-county season ended on July 24 and is not due to resume until the end of January 2023, but the last month has seen a lot of activity in the managerial merry-go-round. In the past few weeks we have seen new hurling managers appointed in Kilkenny (Derek Lyng), Tipperary (Liam Cahill), Waterford (Davy Fitzgerald) and Dublin (Micheál Donoghue). And there have been football appointments in Meath (Colm O’Rourke), Down (Conor Laverty) and Offaly (Liam Kearns). The big news last week was the appointment of Kevin McStay as Mayo manager. Can he end what next year will be a 72-year wait for the Sam Maguire Cup? After a two-month search for James Horan’s successor and a list of high-profile applications for the job, the Mayo County Board have gone for a former player, who won two Connacht finals with the county during his playing career. McStay was overlooked for the Mayo job in 2014 and then took charge of Roscommon, which he led to a Connacht title in 2017. He has been given a four-year term and his backroom team includes former Mayo manager Stephen Rochford, defense coach Donie Buckley who has worked with Kerry in the past, former Mayo forward Liam MacHale and Damien Mulligan the former manager of Belmullet.
Meanwhile Billy Lee has stepped down as Limerick senior football manager after six years in charge. The news comes as a surprise as Lee guided Limerick to promotion from Division 3 of the National League and he also took his native county to their first Munster football final since 2010.
DONOGHUE
TO LEAD DUBS
In hurling, Micheál Donoghue, who led Galway to their first All-Ireland title in 29 years in 2017, is the new Dublin manager, where he replaces another Galwegian Mattie Kenny. His backroom team will include fellow Galway men Francis Forde and Noel Larkin and former Dubliner Shane O’Brien, who has managedWestmeath and will also manage the Dublin under 20 team. Former Dublin hurler Ryan O’Dwyer reckons it’s a good appointment. He said: ‘‘It came out of left field. There were other names being thrown around but when I heard the news I thought it was brilliant for the Dublin hurlers. He does have a lot of work on his hands to build up the confidence in the team from last year, just getting beaten on score difference to qualify for the All-Ireland series. Donoghue, Larkin and Forde have worked together in Galway and won an All-Ireland. When Shane O’Brien was manager of Westmeath he had Noel Larkin in as coach so there is a good working relationship there as well.’’
NEW PUNDITS EXPECTED
All those managerial appointments means that there are going to be a lot of new faces on RTE’s “Sunday Game” programme next year. Normally if a person is managing a senior inter-county team they are not allowed work as an analyst. Pat Spillane has retired from “Sunday Game” and Colm O’Rourke, a long-standing panelist, is Meath’s new boss. Kevin McStay has worked on the programme on the past and another former “Sunday Game” panelist, Tomás O Sé, had to step down last year due to his backroom role with Offaly, and looks set to be off our television screens as he was last week confirmed as the new Kerry under 20 football manager.
BLUES BOUGHT AGAIN
Yet another change of ownership for Waterford FC. The first division club was last week bought by Englishman Andy Pilley. The 52-year-old entrepreneur brings over 18 years of club-ownership experience having led English club Fleetwood Town to six promotions from the North West counties Premier league to League One of the EFL during his time in charge. Former Irish under 21 international Lee Power, who also owns Swindon Town, bought Waterford in 2016, but sold it last year to English businessman George Forrest. Under Power’s ownership Waterford were promoted from the first division and then qualified for the Europa League, but they were denied a license by the FAI as they had not been out of administration for more than three years.
MUNSTER TO HOST
S.A. XV AT UI CHAOIMH
Munster Rugby has confirmed that they will host the Springboks this November as part of the world champions’ northern hemisphere tour. The province will face a South Africa Select XV on Nov. 10, at Páirc Ui Chaoimh, with Munster hopeful of filling the GAA’s famous ground in Cork, which has a 45,000 capacity. It will be the first time the Reds have hosted a touring side in six years and will be a part of the Springboks Autumn Nations Series which will see them play Ireland, France, Italy and England as well as Munster and the Bristol Bears in midweek games for the South African “Select XV.”
DITCH LEAGUE
FINALS: PRENTY
Connacht GAA secretary John Prenty reckons that the GAA should dispense with the National Football League finals and allow more time for the championship to be played. He cited Mayo’s 15-point defeat to Kerry the National Football League Division One final earlier this and suggests that the time would be better served being put into extending the championship. Prenty said the League should be decided on who has most points or if level on points the best scoring difference. However, while Prenty reckons that divisions 3 and 4 finals do carry more value to the counties involved, promotion to a higher division is he reckons sufficient reward after a seven-match programme. Prenty, who is a member of the powerful GAA’s Central Competition Controls Committee, stressed that his view on the league final is purely a personal one.
BABS NOT HAPPY
Former Tipperary hurler Babs Keating, who has managed his native county, plus Galway and Offaly, reckons that the GAA is not relating to the people who supported the Association all their lives. Babs said: ‘‘This idea of asking older people to go online and buy tickets is a joke. I don’t have a facility to print off a ticket to go to a club game. I was at a Ladies football game recently and luckily someone knew me at the stiles because I didn’t have a ticket. For me the last great development in the GAA was the development of Croke Park under Peter Quinn. The current crowd, as far as I can see, are doing their best to mess the whole thing up. Having the All-Ireland finals in July is the biggest joke of all time. We finished the inter-county games before the EPL started and a full season of the EPL will nearly be over by the time we see another hurling championship match.’’
