Banner await Daly’s decision

CLARE have dismissed reports that hurling boss Anthony Daly has resigned.

According to county PRO Des Crowe, “as of Tuesday night’s county board meeting, Daly has not informed the board of his intentions.

“Anthony is under enormous pressure to give it another year. Phone calls to him and county board officers are coming at the rate of three an hour wanting him to stay on. The position with Anthony, Brian Lohan, Seanie McMahon and the county board is that we’ll give it a fortnight, until after the next round of our county championship. The chairman, Michael McDonagh, will then talk with Anthony and report back to the board.

“If some of the players decide to call a halt it may force Anthony’s hand. But he has said he will take his time, will talk to the players and the county board before making any decision one way or another.

“To be fair to all concerned Anthony is on record as saying this was going to be his last year in charge. He said that also in 2005 but agreed to give it another year. The only real decision made at the meeting was to postpone the next round of our county championship for another week in order to give the county players a chance to fully recover.”

Meanwhile, Wexford County Board have moved to raise the profile of hurling by appointing George O’Connor as the county’s first Hurling Development Administrator.

The All-Ireland winner of 1996 has been handed a three-year term and will commence work next month.

O’Connor will operate from an office in Wexford Park.

The position is being funded by the Irish Sports Council, via the Leinster Council, supported by the Wexford County Board.

Part of O’Connor’s brief will be to work with the national schools, second level schools and clubs and implement the development plan for hurling in the county, drawn up by John Conran, Jim Kilty, Mick Kinsella and John Barron.

They remain as the Steering Committee for the project, assisted by Kilkenny’s Pat Henderson who is the Leinster Council’s appointee as chairman, and Fr. Odhran Furlong (secretary).

Elsewhere, Sean Boylan yesterday announced a provisional training panel for the International Rules games against Australia.

The panel which is yet to be finalised, does not include players from counties still involved in the Bank of Ireland football championship. Several players have yet to be approached with regard to their participation and Boylan hopes to finalise his panel early next month.

Players from these counties will be considered for inclusion at a later date.

The 44-man panel includes six players from Tyrone and five from Ulster champions Armagh.

IRELAND training panel: J Galvin (Limerick), J Mc Carthy (Limerick), G Hurney (Waterford), K O’Keefe (Waterford), M Brennan (Louth), K O’Reilly (Meath), A Moyles (Meath), J Sheridan (Meath), G Geraghty (Meath) , D Early (Kildare), T Walsh (Carlow), B Egan (Sligo), E O’Hara (Sligo), S Davy (Sligo), C Mannion (Roscommon), S O’Neill (Roscommon), M Walsh (Down), B Coulter (Down), P Bradley (Down), K Mc Cloy (Derry), F Doherty (Derry), S Martin Lockhart (Derry), A Gaynor (Cavan), S Cavanagh (Tyrone), S O’Neill (Tyrone), C Gormley (Tyrone), E Mc Ginley (Tyrone), R Mc Menamin (Tyrone), P Jordan (Tyrone), C Whelan (Clare), K Fitzgerald (Galway), D Burke (Galway), J Bergin (Galway), D Blake (Galway), N Mc Namee (Offaly), K Slattery (Offaly), P Barden (Longford), B Cavanagh (Longford), K Lacey (Donegal), K Mc Geeney (Armagh), P Mc Grane (Armagh), R Clarke (Armagh), S Mc Donnell (Armagh), C Mc Keever (Armagh).