Giles fate hangs in balance ahead of Meath final

TREVOR GILES is still in limbo before Sunday’s Meath SFC final.

The Meath and Skryne star took his appeal against a four-week ban that currently rules him out of the clash with Simonstown Gaels to the Leinster Council provincial body but they ruled that the matter was one for Meath to deal with.

Giles was sent off in the county semi-final replay win over Dunshaughlin after a 28th minute off-the-ball clash with Aidan Kealy.

Video evidence of the incident doesn’t exist but it’s likely now that witnesses will be called over the next 48 hours or so to recount the incident leaving Giles positive about the outcome.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Barry-Murphy has reiterated his belief that Sean O’Leary is the perfect man to succeed Donal O’Grady as manager of the Cork senior hurlers.

O’Grady’s decision, although no surprise, has taken some of the wind out of the county’s sails having beaten Kilkenny to claim a first All-Ireland title in five years only last month.

Full-back Diarmuid O’Sullivan has already gone on record asking O’Grady to change his mind. The fear is that the momentum gathered during O’Grady’s two-year spell may be lost under a new management.

O’Leary served under O’Grady as a selector for the past two seasons and was a part of Barry-Murphy’s management team that last brought the Liam McCarthy back to Leeside in 1999. With that in mind, Barry-Murphy feels O’Leary can bring some much-needed continuity to the All-Ireland champions’ set-up.

“I think Seanie would be the appropriate man for the job,” the current St Finbarr’s manager said.

“I know him well from my years playing alongside him for Cork and he was a selector with me for a few years for a while as well.

“I just think from a continuity point of view he would be the ideal man for the job. He’s been involved with Donal for the past two years and the ideal situation now for Cork would be for Seanie to take over.

“Whether or not he has the time to do it is another thing. I haven’t been talking to him recently so I don’t know how he feels about it.”

O’Leary’s isn’t the only name being mentioned as a possible candidate.

Sean O’Brien, who led the Cork intermediate side to two All-Irelands in 2001 and 2003, is another believed to be in the reckoning. Sean O’Gorman, who looked after the U-21s for the past two years is another, as is John Allen, another of O’Grady’s selectors.

Galway officials were still conducting interviews late into last night to decide who should succeed John O’Mahony as manager to their senior football team.

Peter Forde, Brian Talty and Frank Doherty all met with the six-man committee to put forward their claims.

The county board expects a speedy decision to be made in the coming days.