Moynihan to manage Fossa
AFTER the departure of John Evans as manager, Fossa have moved quickly to appoint another household name to take charge of their senior team with Glenflesk’s Seamus Moynihan taking charge of the Premier Junior side for 2018.
Moynihan was involved with the double County Championship winning East Kerry minor team in the last two years, but this is the first prominent senior role for the four-time All-Ireland medal winner and former Kerry U-21 selector. His first task will be to pick his new side up from a disappointing County League Division 3 campaign that saw them relegated straight back down to Division 4 after promotion in 2016.
Another former Kerry player to have been involved with the county’s U-21s, 2008 All-Ireland winning manager at the grade, Seán Geaney, will be returning to management in 2018 as he takes charge of his native Dingle’s senior side. Geaney served as a selector with the Dingle minor and under-21s in recent years.
Geaney replaces Paul Fitzmaurice who didn’t take long to find a new role himself as he takes over from Stephen Wallace at Milltown/ Castlemaine.
Further news from that district sees Mid Kerry champions Beaufort looking for a new manager after it was confirmed that Gary McGrath has stepped down from the role after two years.
Meanwhile, Legion are still to confirm their managerial position for 2018 in the wake of their O’Donoghue Cup Final loss to Rathmore, but it’s expected that Alan O’Neill will remain in the manager’s role with possible additions to the existing backroom team mooted.
Another East Kerry man on the move is Rathmore’s Denis Moynihan. The three time O’Donoghue Cup winning manager returns to management after a year out to take over at Ballymacelligott, replacing Paud O’Donoghue of Glenflesk in the role.
Clive O’Callaghan has returned to his native John Mitchels after being involved with Keel for the last two years, while Castleisland Desmonds aren’t expected to have anything in place until the New Year.
Meanwhile, despite ongoing concerns about the future of the club, Valentia Young Islanders have appointed former Dromid Pearses and St Marys manager, Michael Anthony O’Connell, as manager for the 2018 campaign, but say the fielding of a team next year will be decided by a meeting between Valentia native O’Connell and the players on Christmas Eve.
O’Connell was a selector on the 2012 All-Ireland winning Kerry Junior side, and Club PRO Liam Lynch told The Kerryman that the club will decide its immediate future based on that meeting.
“We’re really only taking it year by year at the moment, but it’s a constant battle to field as everyone well knows down here. We can’t say how we will be fixed long-term even though we do have some encouraging numbers at underage level at the moment. We’ve three players over 40 allowing us to compete at present with our goalkeeper Richard Quigley just after turning 51 years of age,” he said about the club’s present situation.
The club has not peaked beyond 22 players since their 2005 South Kerry Championship and 2015 Knockaderry Invitational (Munster Novice) Tournament successes.