McCarthy among the nominees for Treaty job
Former Cork All-Ireland winning boss John Allen is also one of nine nominations submitted by clubs across the county to the Limerick county board.
Last Friday evening was the deadline for submissions to the Limerick county board after the post became vacant when McCarthy’s two-year term officially concluded after the recent All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Offaly.
County board secretary Mike O’Riordan revealed last night that the board have received nine nominations with the fact that McCarthy is still in the frame set to be a major talking point.
McCarthy became engaged in a bitter conflict with members of the county panel last season after dropping 12 players for his 2010 panel with 12 more subsequently withdrawing in protest.
John Tuohy, a selector with McCarthy’s management team this year, has also been nominated and is one of three Patrickswell club men in the frame. Former senior playing greats Gary Kirby and Ciarán Carey are also in contention. Kirby was confirmed last week as a candidate and was involved as a Limerick senior hurling selector when Richie Bennis was manager between 2006 and 2008, while Carey has had previous managerial stints with the Limerick U21 hurlers and the Limerick senior camogie side.
Former Limerick player TJ Ryan, who only retired at the end of the 2008 campaign, is also in the reckoning with the Garryspillane man an outspoken critic of McCarthy’s management this season. The remaining three candidates are Dave Keane, who was previously senior manager in 2003, Leo O’Connor, who coached the Limerick U21 hurlers this season, and Val Murnane, who has been heavily involved with Limerick club sides in recent years.
The list of nominations will now be handed to the three-man sub-committee appointed by the Limerick county board to select the next manager.
The committee consists of former players Paudie Fitzmaurice (Killeedy) and Damien Quigley (Na Piarsaigh), and Dairygold CEO Jim Woulfe, but it is within their remit not to interview any of the nominated candidates. They are also permitted to interview anyone who has not been nominated but that they deem suitable for the job.
The interviews are expected to take place over the coming weeks before a proposal is presented to the county board for ratification.
Meanwhile Limerick football manager Mickey Ned O’Sullivan has revealed that the future intentions of his coaching sidekick Donie Buckley will heavily influence his own decision as to whether remain on in charge of the Shannonsiders.
O’Sullivan’s fifth season in charge came to an end with Limerick’s All-Ireland SFC qualifier exit against Cork in the Gaelic Grounds on Saturday night but he was non-committal in the aftermath as to whether he will remain for a sixth season in 2011. O’Sullivan conceded that Buckley’s availability will be crucial and he will be sounding him out before announcing his plans.
Buckley’s innovative training has been well-received by the Limerick players and his arrival to the management team has been credited with helping the squad reach the last two Munster finals and challenge strongly in the qualifiers.
“I’ll have to talk to Donie Buckley first,” said O’Sullivan. “We’re a double-act when it comes to taking charge of this team. A lot will depend on Donie and what he wants to do.
“Our future is irrelevant, we’re just disappointed about this defeat.”
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