Fitzgerald gets Clare approval as hurling boss

DAVY FITZGERALD will be ratified as the new Clare senior hurling manager at their next county board meeting on October 11, after it was confirmed to club delegates in the West County Hotel in Ennis last night that the legendary All-Ireland-winning goalkeeper was the only nominee to fill the role vacated by Ger O’Loughlin in July.

Fitzgerald and his prospective management team are to be invited to attend that meeting where they will outline the plans for their tenure in charge.

Some delegates at last night’s meeting expressed a desire to put questions to Fitzgerald and county board chairman Michael O’Neill outlined that he intends to invite the former Waterford boss to address them.

It was also revealed that a dozen clubs had nominated Fitzgerald for the position and given that level of support, it was decided to shelve original plans to establish a sub-committee to interview Fitzgerald before that meeting.

The situation surrounding the next Clare football manager also became clearer last night with the executive announcing they will be seeking nominations for the position from clubs in advance of the next board meeting. This year’s boss Micheal McDermott, who addressed delegates along with O’Loughlin as part of a 2011 review, outlined his willingness to stay in charge and it is expected that he will be one of a few candidates nominated.

Cian O’Neill, who stepped down as physical trainer with the Tipperary hurlers, has been linked with taking up a role with the Mayo footballers.

The Kildare native, who played a key role in Tipp’s 2010 All-Ireland success, has revealed that a desire to return to football coaching was the reason behind his departure from the position with the Premier county. He confirmed he’s been in talks with a number of senior football counties with a view to getting involved for the 2012 season.

“I hugely enjoyed my time with the Tipperary hurlers, they were a fantastic bunch of players and it was a privilege to work with them. But football is my passion, it’s where my background is. I’m definitely going to go back to football coaching in some shape or form and that was why I ended up finishing with Tipperary. I’ve been talking to a few different county teams but I’m not going to talk about what teams specifically as nothing has been decided. It has to go through the right process.”

However, it’s believed that Mayo boss James Horan is leading the queue for O’Neill’s services. Horan has had to reshuffle his backroom team following the resignations of selectors Paul Jordan and Martin Connolly.

The duo did most of the physical training with the Mayo squad last season, under the direction of Dr Ed Coughlan, a strength and conditioning expert who is based in the UK.

O’Neill, the course director for the BSc Physical Education programme at the University of Limerick, would be an ideal candidate to fill that role. He also has had first-hand experience in dealing with several members of the Mayo senior squad through Sigerson Cup teams in UL with Seamus O’Shea and Enda Varley amongst those who have played for the third-level outfit.