FIVE CLUBS PROPOSE DUNNE
No names put forward for vacant Senior football post
WEXFORD’S G.A.A. clubs have turned their backs regarding responsibility for the vacant posts of Senior hurling and Senior football manager.
The county management committee decided to seek nominations from clubs for both positions, but their meagre response shows a clear lack of interest or willingness to become involved in the process, with sadly nobody put forward for the football post.
For Senior hurling, Oulart-The Ballagh, the club of outgoing manager Liam Dunne, along with Naomh Eanna, recommended Dunne and his backroom team.
This is not surprising given that the latter is the home club of selector Ger Cushe. Similarly, Tom Foley’s Rathnure and Aidan O’Connor’s Buffers Alley recommended the same backroom team for another term along with Bannow-Ballymitty.
Now an update on the progress will be presented by County Chairman, Diarmuid Devereux, to Thursday night’s County Board meeting.
However, with the clubs having been given an opportunity to have their input into the future managers, the respective hurling and football committees will now progress the matter further as they seek outside interests with a view to drawing up a panel for interview.
They will now take a trawl of the leading hurling counties before deciding on personnel who express an interest for interview, which could be a rather lengthy process.
However, it’s in Wexford’s interest that the best possible managers are appointed, particularly as Dunne’s term of office has expired, although he has expressed an interest in seeking another team.
But given the mood on the ground it’s becoming increasingly clear that the desire is for change, so it will be surprising if a new man- ager is not at the helm of Wexford hurling for 2017.
There is much speculation regarding interest in the Wexford hurling post.
It’s well known that apart from Dunne’s name, others very much speculated upon are Anthony Daly, the former Dublin manager, now involved in Limerick under-age and the Minor team in this year’s All-Ireland final; Frank Flannery, the current Oulart-The Ballagh manager and coach to this year’s Cork Senior hurling team; former Cork coach and Antrim manager, Jerry Wallace; former Galway manager, Anthony Cunningham; Jimmy Barry-Murphy, former Cork manager; Tipperary’s All-Ireland winning manager, Liam Sheedy, and another former Tipperary manager, Declan Ryan, with retired Tipperary player and coach, Tommy Dunne, also being speculated upon.
Given Wexford’s lack of silverware during Dunne’s five-year reign at the helm, with their failure to win promotion from Division 1B, demoralising defeats in the provincial championship, coupled with the fact that more than €1m has been spent on the team during that period, one is not surprised that those responsible are anxious to seek an outside manager in an effort to propel the young players forward.
The G.A.A. in the county are seeking change, and the clubs seek change, so the prospect of Dunne and his backroom being re-appointed is diluting more and more by the day.