Tommy Carr tops list as Tipperary begin search for new manager

Tipperary GAA Board has begun to search to find a new manager for the county’s senior football team.

Peter Creedon, who steered the county to division three of the National Football League in 2014, and narrowly missed out on promotion to division two this year, retired after Tipperary lost to Tyrone in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

The Corkman was three years at the helm, having previously taken charge of the county’s minor and under 21 teams in a decade of involvement.

He was also a selector with this year’s under 21 side narrowly beaten by Tyrone in the All-Ireland final.

The Tipperary Football Board this week set up a high-powered committee to source a successor and some prominent names are being linked with the post. Topping the list is Tommy Carr, the former Dublin footballer and manager who has strong Tipperary roots and played at club level with Holycross-Ballycahill. His brother Declan captained Tipperary to All-Ireland senior hurling honours in 1991.

Also being mentioned is David Power, the current manager of the Wexford footballers, who led Tipperary to All-Ireland minor honours, and Tommy Twomey, who was manager of the Tipperary under 21 team and who has had a life-time of involvement in football in the county both as a player and in management.

The committee is inviting nominations from clubs and interested parties and hopes to fill the position in the coming weeks.

In a statement this week the Tipperary Board thanked Creedon and his backroom team for the time and dedication given to Tipperary football and for raising Tipperary to a very high standard in the national picture.

Meanwhile Mickey Harte has revealed he has already begun preparations for next season, despite the fact that he has not been offered a new term as manager of the Tyrone team.

Harte has had a meeting with the players since last weekend’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Kerry. And he plans to begin the search for new talent by attending club championship games over the next few weeks.

Harte said in a live broadcast on local GAA website Teamtalkmag that his attentions have already turned to making a serious challenge for the All-Ireland title in 2016.

“My mind is already on 2016, my mind is on preparation,” he said.

“My mind is on looking at the club championship to see is there anyone there who is really putting up their hand to say, ‘you’d need to be looking at me’. Because I want to be doing that, and that’s where we’re heading just now.” Harte met the players on Wednesday evening to review a roller-coaster season which saw Tyrone suffer relegation from Division One of the National Football League, before crashing out of the Ulster Championship at the preliminary round stage, before staging a sensational revival which took them all the way to the All-Ireland semi-final.

“I gave them a briefing of what I thought about their season, and what my intentions are for the following season.

“And there’s nobody under any doubt that we want to be a team to be reckoned with in the season that’s coming.”

And on the issue of being without a term extension for the first time since he took over the jog 13 years ago, he said: “I don’t know whether I’m surprised, or disappointed, or whatever it is, but it would be nice to have that invitation for sure, because I have worked hard at this for the years that I’ve been at it, from the minors of 1991. I have always put my heart and soul into it.

“I’m delighted to have had that opportunity, and I do appreciate every one of those years, and I certainly would appreciate some more years.”

*The Wexford Camogie Board has lost its appeal against the result of their All-Ireland Senior Championship semi-final defeat to Galway.

Wexford had appealed on two grounds: the failure to award a point to their side in the first half and referee Cathal Egan’s decision to play two and a half minutes more than the four minutes of additional time signalled at the end of the game.

However, the NTHDC considered the evidence presented and subsequently dismissed the appeal on rules 41.5 and 41.6. Galway now go on to meet Cork in the decider.