Other GAA stories in brief

Quinn to change position

Outgoing chairman Ned Quinn will succeed Pat Dunphy as Kilkenny County Board secretary at the county's annual convention on Thursday, December 13th.

Quinn, who has been in the chair for the past nine years, is the only nomination for the secretary's position and as a result he will be unopposed at the convention to be held in the O'Loughlin Gaels GAA centre.

Current Kilkenny vice-chairman Paul Kinsella

of St Martin's and Rower-Inistioge clubman Dunphy will battle it out for the chairmanship of the county board. The position of vice-chairman has three nominations and could lead to a contest.

Dunphy is also nominated for that position and should he lose out in the race for the chair, he will find himself in a battle with Northern Board chairman Paul Kavanagh (Emeralds) and former Southern Board chairman Paddy Gaule of Tullogher Rosbercon.

Loughmore in no hurry

Munster champions Loughmore-Castleiney will wait until the new year before selecting the captain of the Tipperary senior hurling team in 2008. Eamonn Sweeney, who doubles up as the club's chairman and senior hurling team manager, confirmed last night that the captaincy issue will not be discussed until next year, unless it is brought up at the club's agm on December 15th.

Sweeney himself has a decision to make on his own future in charge as the forthcoming agm is convened to appoint the selectors of the club's various teams for 2008.

It is expected Sweeney will be unopposed as chairman and although he will definitely be in charge of the newly-crowned provincial champions for their assault on the All-Ireland championship, he is undecided about the remainder of the year.

Sweeney said: "One thing is for sure. If I don't go back to my own club, I definitely won't be going to any other club."

Sweeney has confirmed that Loughmore-Castleiney's potential Tipperary panellists will be excused from intercounty duty until the club's campaign comes to an end.

It looks certain that JK Brackens clubman Eamonn Corcoran will captain the Tipperary team during the early stages of the National Hurling League and until Loughmore-Castleiney's club campaign reaches a conclusion.

It is still unclear whether or not Paul Ormond will return to the Tipperary set-up and that would leave Micheál Webster, Evan Sweeney and Tom King as the leading contenders from Loughmore for the county captaincy, assuming the county's manager, Liam Sheedy, drafts those players into his squad.

Top award for Conlon

Mary Conlon of the Claregalway club received the inaugural VHI Healthcare Ladies Football Club Person of the Year Award at a ceremony in Croke Park yesterday.

Conlon, the Galway club's women's football club secretary, plays a pivotal role in every aspect of the club's activities from fixture and pitch management to fundraising and first aid.