Tipperary board give Ryan go-ahead to be next hurling boss

The Tipperary senior hurling team will have a new manager in 2016 after Michael Ryan was formally ratified at last night’s County Board meeting in Thurles to succeed Eamonn O’Shea.

In what is an unprecedented move, the current assistant manager was approved to take over from Eamonn O’Shea when his third and final year of his term comes to an end at the end of next season.

Upperchurch/Drombane clubman Ryan will take over for a two year term which, at the end of 2017, would bring his involvement with the senior team in a management capacity to eight in a ten year period, having served as selector under Liam Sheedy from 2008 and 2010 before returning as assistant manager under Eamonn O’Shea in 2013.

He also hurled at senior level for the county between 1991 and 2000, winning an All Ireland medal in his first year at corner back.

Ryan, along with Paudie O’Neill, will remain as part of Eamonn O’Shea’s management team for 2015 but will be joined by former All Ireland winning defender Declan Fanning, who was also ratified as an extra selector.

The Killenaule clubman retired in 2010 having played senior championship hurling for the premier county for seven years, making 30 appearances, winning his one and only All Ireland medal in 2010 in what proved to be his last game for the county.

TJ Connolly and Liam Cahill will remain on as under 21 and minor managers respectively but no appointments were made to the football teams with the Football Board yet to make their recommendations.

However, Peter Creedon, whose two and a half year term as senior manager which came to an end this year, is expected to be given another term to build on the progress made in 2014 when they won Division 4 of the National League and also came within minutes of beating Cork in the Munster Championship before earning good wins over Longford and Laois in the qualifiers before exiting at the hands of Galway.