Tipp gives managers another season

MICHAEL BABS KEATING, John Leahy and Tom Barry have been ratified for another year as the Tipperary senior hurling management team.

They and the county’s other management teams were ratified at a meeting of the county board in the Thurles Sarsfields Social Centre last Tuesday.John Owens of Moyle Rovers was ratified as the senior football manager. Owens was a senior selector for the last two seasons and moves up to manage the team following the decision of outgoing manager Seamus McCarthy to step down.

John will be joined by outgoing selector Jim Healy (Loughmore-Castleiney), John Phelan (Ardfinnan), and John Quinn (Éire Óg Annacarty).

Meanwhile, while all eyes have been on the race to succeed Mick O’Dwyer as Laois football manager, the hurling job remains up for grabs following Dinny Cahill’s dismissal.

Many names have been linked with the position, including former Clare and Tipperary boss Len Gaynor, as well as local men Joe Dollard, Ricky Cashin, Seán Plunkett, PJ Cuddy, John Taylor and two men also in the running for the football post, Pat Roe and Mick Dempsey.

Current favourite, however, would seem to be Kilkenny native Tommy Buggy, whose stock has risen sharply this summer as he managed the Carlow team that reached the county’s first ever Leinster minor hurling final.

Although Kilkenny inflicted a heavy defeat on them, wins over Offaly and Wexford elevated hurling to a hitherto unseen profile in Carlow. Buggy is currently manager of his home club, Castlecomer, as they prepare for this weekend’s Kilkenny SHC match with Carrickshock at Nowlan Park.

Former Laois star Danny Doogue has been given the all-clear following a drawn-out disciplinary affair that began more than four months ago with a row at the end of a SFC match between his club Graiguecullen and Ballylinan.

Doogue, who was the O’Moores’ leading scorer in their 1996 All-Ireland minor winning season, was handed a 48-week suspension by Laois GAC after an altercation with a linesman as the game concluded on May 14, with the club given a e1,000 fine.

The player and the club appealed that decision to the Leinster Council at the end of June and, when that failed, submitted claims to the Disputes Resolution Authority.

A committee made up of Tony Walsh, Donal Deegan and Andrew Broderick was charged with carrying out that investigation, and cleared Doogue of any wrongdoing.

* RTÉ 2 will broadcast the All-Ireland MFC final replay between Kerry and Roscommon on Saturday starting at 2.30pm (throw-in 2.45pm).