Gavin proves popular heir to Gilroy

Dublin football fans got their wish last night with confirmation that highly rated underage guru Jim Gavin will take charge of the senior team.

The All-Ireland U21-winning boss was ratified, as expected, at a county board meeting to succeed Pat Gilroy and will take the job for three years.

He was the natural fit for the position having collected two All-

Irelands in total at the U21 grade and worked with many of the players currently on the senior squad.

Unfortunately for the Round Towers clubman, one of the players he won’t have access to in 2013 is new Aussie Rules recruit Ciaran Kilkenny.

The Castleknock teenager was part of Gavin’s successful U21 side this year and gave the senior appointment a strong seal of approval.

“Jim’s a great guy and he’s a great manager,” said Kilkenny. “He’s won two All-Irelands with the Dublin U21 team over the last few years so, yeah, he’s a very good appointment.”

County board chairman Andy Kettle echoed the sentiments and said it was standard practice to hand the former Dublin forward a three-year deal.

Anthony Daly was also reappointed last night as manager of the hurling team for a fifth straight season.

Meanwhile, Mick O’Dowd is being hotly-tipped in the county to succeed Seamus McEnaney as Meath senior football manager.

The Skyrne man has put together an impressive prospective management team including his club-mate and Irish Examiner columnist Trevor Giles, former Meath coach Seán Kelly as well as Colm Brady as physical trainer.

Former county player O’Dowd was player-manager when he led his club to a senior county title in 2004.

Giles was physio to the Meath panel under McEnaney but worked as a forwards coach in this year’s championship. Kelly, who coached Meath under Eamonn O’Brien in 2010 after Brady stepped down, was initially nominated for the position but subsequently pulled out.

As well as O’Dowd, Colm O’Rourke, Paddy Carr and outgoing player-selector Graham Geraghty have been interviewed for the position.

Meanwhile, a decision on Conor Counihan’s position as Cork football boss is unlikely to be discussed at tonight’s county board meeting.

Counihan’s official tenure ended after his side’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final defeat to Donegal.

Elsewhere, Seamus Moynihan has confirmed he won’t be part of Eamonn Fitzmaurice’s Kerry management team next year, citing family and work commitments as his reasons not to come on board.