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Cats’ manager has star hurler’s backing

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

“If Brian Cody stays on as manager, I think Kilkenny will be title challengers once again in 2004,” Carey said last week. “I rate Brian very highly. He is very level headed and fair. Everyone knows that if they are playing well, they will be picked to play and that goes on form in training.
“Brian was under fierce pressure this year when Charlie Carter and Brian McEvoy quit the panel. But Brian had the mettle to make those tough decisions. In the past he also left out players like Denis Byrne, Eamonn Kennedy, Pat O’Neill and Philly Larkin. And he was prepared to stand by those decisions whether we won or lost.”

DUBLIN-MAYO FINAL
Women’s Gaelic football has been making great progress in recent years. Nowadays, many girls seem to prefer Gaelic football to camogie and the recent women’s football finals have been very exciting.
On Sunday, there should be a record crowd at Croke Park for this year’s Ladies final between Mayo and Dublin.
Mayo are one of the top counties in women’s football and were All-Ireland winners in 1999, 2000 and ’02, while this will be Dublin’s first final appearance. After the disappointing show by their senior footballers this summer, Dublin GAA supporters are likely to come out in force on Sunday to support their team.
Like their male equivalent, the women’s game is gradually becoming a young players’ game. Most of the women are under 21. But of course there are exceptions. Mayo’s Cora Staunton, one of the top forwards in the game, is 27, while Dublin midfielder Angie McNally is 35. The LGAA have also shown innovation by using a big clock (similar to the one in Gaelic Park in New York) which counts down the minutes. So there are never any arguments about stoppage time.

PATS FANCIED FOR CUP
Just a few hundred yards up the road from Croke Park, the focus on Sunday will be very much on soccer when Bohemians and St. Patrick’s Athletic meet in the FAI Cup semifinal. The Saints, who haven’t won the cup since 1961, will feel they have a good chance of success this year, if they get over their North Dublin rivals. But Bohs are coming good after a terrible start to the season and Irish international Glen Crowe is back to his best after injury. Pats have tightened their defense with the signing of the lanky Clive Delaney, who previously played for UCD. I have a feeling this could be their year for the cup. The first semifinal between Longford Town and Galway United will be played at Flancare Park in Longford on Friday night.

HURLING BOSSES WANTED
There has never been a situation like that which now exists in Munster since, at least not since the emergence of managers rather than committees in selecting county teams. Three of the six counties are currently without a senior hurling manager. Dave Keane was the first to go, sacked by the Limerick County Board after a turbulent year. Then Cyril Lyons, together with selectors Louis Mulqueen and Ger O’Loughlin, quit in Clare. Twenty-four hours later came the news that Michael Doyle was stepping down after 10 months in charge of Tipperary.
“When you haven’t got the support of the senior players, it’s time to go,” said Doyle, son of the legendary John Doyle of Holy Cross fame.
Already the possible candidates are being lined up. But Dinny Cahill, who makes the long journey from Tipperary every week to coach Antrim, said the vacancy is coming too soon for him. The favorite at the moment is Michael Cleary, who led the Tipperary camogie team to three All-Ireland titles. Player power also seems to have been the problem in Clare, where former Galway manager Cyril Farrell could be among the candidates.

KERRY MANAGER MAY STAY
Paidi O Se is hanging in as Kerry manager and could yet be reelected at the county board meeting on Oct. 28. The Kerry County Board have approved a change in their rules whereby the new manager will be able to name his own selectors.
Larry Tompkins has been quiet since Cork was knocked from the championship by Roscommon, but it looks very much like will be replaced, and maybe by former manager Billy Morgan. Morgan, who is manager of Nemo Rangers, said a few weeks back that he wouldn’t be tempted back, but the fact that in Cork the manager can now name his own selectors may be change that. Denis Walsh quit as manager of Waterford last month and another Corkman Tom McGlinchey stepped down as Tipp football manager during the summer.

JOCKEYS CAN USE PHONES
The Irish Turf Club are not going to copy the actions of The Jockey Club, their counterparts in the UK, who have banned jockeys from using mobile phones on racecourses.
“We have decided against the banning of mobile phones as we are not aware of any instances where phones have been used to compromise the integrity of racing,” Turf Club Senior Steward Ray Rooney said last week. “If we become aware of evidence that mobile phones are being misused in Ireland, we would seriously consider the introduction of a ban.”
Irish-born apprentice Paul Scallan became the first jockey in Britain to be punished for breaching limits on mobile phone use when he was fined

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