No one exempt from Antrim hurling hot seat

Antrim chiefs may well turn to a non-native to fill the vacant county hurling team-manager position, despite their experiences with Jerry Wallace.

The Cork native called time on three occasions on his hurling links with the Saffrons’ set-up, the most recent being last month when he stepped down as a selector on the backroom team of interim manager Jim Nelson.

Initially, Wallace had opted out as a coach under Tipperary man Dinny Cahill to join up with Donal O’Grady, who had taken over the Limerick hot seat from Justin McCarthy in late 2010.

And less than two months ago, the Youghal man quit as the Glensmen’s boss in the wake of his well-publicised spat with RTÉ who denied claims by Wallace that he had made representations to the national broadcaster about a red card handed out to Antrim player Cormac Donnelly.

Last May, former Antrim hurling greats Terence ‘Sambo’ McNaughton and Gregory O’Kane resigned as selectors on Wallace’s backroom team, and many Antrim hurling folk would see either of the duo as ideal men to take over from Wallace.

But Board secretary and former Ulster Hurling Development Officer Frankie Quinn says that the field is wide open and he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of yet another non-native taking up the reins for the 2013 programme of matches.

“We definitely don’t have a situation where we have people breaking down the door in their eagerness to be appointed manager of the Antrim hurling team,” he candidly admitted.

“We may well appoint an Antrim man to the position, but, at the same time, I certainly wouldn’t rule out someone from outside the county for the job, and we wouldn’t be putting that stipulation into the job description.”

With regard to the managership of the Antrim football team, Frankie Quinn says he expects Liam Bradley to continue in his role for a fifth term.