Murray’s moving on from champs Meath

THE departure of Eamonn Murray as manager of reigning All-Ireland ladies champions Meath was the stand-out news on a busy day of sideline switches in Gaelic games.

Speculation around his future hardened into fact at tea-time yesterday evening, and Murray departs as one of the outstanding figures in the modern GAA.

Leading Meath in their defence of this year’s crown came close to matching the extraordinary achievement of managing them to victory in last year’s senior final, when they stunned powerhouses Dublin.

The year before, Murray had led the Royals to the intermediate crown.

He has also collected league titles at three grades with the team.

It’s a brilliant record, and one that is certain to see him pursued with offers from both the women’s and men’s games.

However, there has been a sense that Meath’s astonishing run could struggle to continue, with the departures of Vikki Wall and Orlagh Lally to the AFLW, and with Emma Troy moving to Australia.

Along with Emma

Duggan – whose own future has been linked to Aussie Rules – they are important components of the team.

Paddy Christie, meanwhile, was named the manager of the Longford footballers yesterday.

He has been appointed as a three-year term, following a coaching reputation shaped at club level with Ballymun Kickhams, with DCU in the varsity game, and as a coach with the Tipperary seniors.

Christie had also been part of Declan Shaw’s vanquished bid to manage the Mayo seniors.

Jack Cooney has left Westmeath after bringing them to the high of the Tailteann Cup win last season.

He has been appointed the GAA’s National Player Development Lead.

‘The player development area is one in which I have invested a lot of time academically in the past few years.

‘And this is the opportunity for me to work in the area in a full-time capacity,’ Cooney said in a statement issued by Westmeath GAA.