Fit-again O’Mahony to skipper Premier in final skirmish with Cats
As a precautionary measure, the Newport star had his training curtailed last week due to a dead leg. However, the centre-back is fit again and will definitely be named in the Tipp side to be announced tomorrow night.
O’Mahony was not the original choice as captain, as county champions Toomevara nominated Willie Ryan, but when he failed to nail down a regular place, O’Mahony took over.
The Kilkenny team will be named tomorrow night but speculation former All-Star full-back Noel Hickey could make a dramatic return appears to be wide of the mark.
Hickey suffered a groin injury against Limerick just before half-time in the 2007 final victory over Limerick and then a hip injury kept him grounded for most of last season.
With no inter-county game under his belt this year, he is likely to be held in reserve by manager Brian Cody, with JJ Delaney continuing at full-back and John Tennyson lining out at left half-back.
Because of a hand injury to midfielder Danny Glennon, the Galway minor manager Mattie Murphy has delayed selection of his side to meet Kilkenny.
The Kilkenny team is due to be named after training tonight but a definite non-starter from the side that defeated Tipperary in the semi-final is full back Willie Phelan, sidelined with a broken collarbone. His likely replacement is Danny Kenny from Dicksboro.
Meanwhile Seamus McEnaney will shake up his Monaghan management team for 2010 with a dramatic new coaching appointment.
That was the declaration last night from Monaghan County Board chairman John Connolly who predicted Monaghan’s management team will be the envy of the country when the mystery coach is revealed.
The fact that McEnaney is staying on along with top trainer Marty McElkennon is in itself reason enough for fans to celebrate.
The long serving Farney manager took time out before confirming to Connolly last evening that he’s committing to a sixth season in charge.
But inevitably it’ll be the identity of the new coach that will set tongues wagging, with an excited Connolly saying he hopes to be in a position to unveil the “high-profile” appointment today or tomorrow.
“Seamus is staying on, he had a long and hard think about things and came up with the answer we hoped he would,” said Connolly.
“He’ll be making a few changes to his backroom team. We probably have another surprise package to come in, let’s say a high-profile coach.”
Elsewhere Dublin’s Ciarán Whelan has announced his retirement from inter-county football.
Whelan won six Leinster championships and two All-Stars in a 14-year career but failed to land an All-Ireland medal.
He admitted last night: “Deep down in my own mind, I knew this would be the last year. I discussed it with the family at home and the way the year turned out, playing a limited amount of time and given the amount of commitment and effort that goes into it. It’s really a time factor.”
The Raheny club man added: “My body isn’t recovering as quick as I’d like. Every year, the commitments are getting bigger. I reached the stage in my own head where I was quite clear that it was time to move on. But I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. For 14 years it’s been a childhood dream come true. I wouldn’t change any bit of it. I was clear in my own mind that this year was my last year and I kind of made up my mind that I was giving it one last go under the new management.
“Even if I had played more, I just know from the training this year that I found it very, very tough.”
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