Nally confirmed as Kelly selector for 2017 campaign
IT was hardly the best kept secret in Louth GAA, but Colm Nally was finally ratified as one of Colin Kelly’s selectors for 2017 on Monday night.
The former Reds’ and Newtown Blues star worked as a goalkeeping coach with the squad this season and has been tipped to step up to a full selector role for some months, after taking up a coaching co-ordinator position with the county during the summer.
The delay in officially appointing Nally was likely due to the fact that his current club St Colmcille’s were still immersed in the Meath Intermediate Championship, which they eventually won after a replay against Dunderry.
Nally guided the east Meath outfit to a Leinster win last Saturday and they face Kildare side Round Towers this weekend in the semi-final, but when that journey ends Nally will turn his attentions to Louth.
Last month Colin Kelly named Aaron Hoey as one of his selectors, while Aaron Rogers will look after strength and conditioning.
The Louth County Board, meanwhile, is still conducting interviews for the vacant hurling manager position.
Chairman Des Halpenny revealed that the process should be wrapped up this week and that a special meeting may be required to ratify Dee McCarthy’s replacement.
Also on Monday night, Mr Halpenny told clubs that he is not in favour of a proposal from Leinster Council in relation to the appointment of full-time coaches.
The chairman revealed that Louth submitted a plan to the provincial body at the start of the summer which proposed one full-time coach be appointed for every four or five clubs in the county, utilising new coaching and games grants from Leinster.
The Louth plan would not cost clubs or the county board anything, but after similar proposals were investigated from Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, he said Leinster Council seem to be in favour of allocating the grants on a top-up basis with clubs contributing €20,000 and Leinster providing the additional €10,000 required.
Two or more clubs could join together to come up with the €20,000 and then share the full-time coach, but Mr Halpenny and Treasurer Aidan Berrill said they envisaged this creating a ‘have’ and ‘have-not’ scenario as some clubs simply wouldn’t be able to afford to pay a coach.
Meanwhile, the county board is proposing to move the club transfer window from December to January. Players can currently apply to move clubs between December 1st and 15th, but the CCC feel a window from 1st to 15th January would be more suitable.
The proposal will be voted on at convention, which will take place on December 12th in the Darver Centre of Excellence.