The people of Clare are hoping that the natural leadership qualities Anthony Daly displayed as a player have evolved, after he was ratified as their new hurling manager last night. The two-time All-Ireland winning captain insisted on just a one-year term to attempt to revive the county's fortunes.
After a short meeting between Daly and the selection committee, including county board chairman Fr Michael McNamara, his name went forward as the sole candidate for the role.
Fr Harry Bohan and Alan Cunningham were named as his selectors. Both provide the essential managerial experience, which Daly lacks, as Fr Bohan was manager of Clare in the 1970s and he returned to the management under Seamus Durack in the 1980s, while Cunningham is the current under-21 manager.
The appointment ended weeks of speculation, as Daly had refused to confirm an interest in the job, due to his playing commitments with Clarecastle, who he helped to achieve a 10th county championship title on October 12th.
Several names were in the running for the role, vacated by Cyril Lyons last month, including Kevin Kennedy and Cyril Farrell. Yet, Daly's popularity within the county, having won three Munster titles and twice lifting the Liam McCarthy Cup (1995 and 1997) in his eight-year period as captain, made him the natural replacement.
After taking Clare to the All-Ireland final in 2002, the reign of Lyons looked set to continue when Clare overran Tipperary in the first round of the Munster championship last May. However, by early June the year had come to a grinding halt with successive defeats to Cork and Galway.
The path from captain to manager is expected to be seamless for Daly, especially considering several of the old-guard like Brian and Frank Lohan, Seanie McMahon and James O'Connor are all still involved. Also, he would be familiar with most of the panel, as he was only forced off the intercounty stage in early 2002, with recurring back pains.
His retirement didn't prevent him continuing to turn out for his club, Clarecastle, and he has been playing his best hurling for years this season. Before he can turn his full attention to the manager's role, a Munster club championship quarter-final against Patrickswell, this Sunday, will be the main focus.
