MANAGERIAL VACANCIES:WITH JOE Kernan confirming his "half season" tenure with Galway to be at an end, the focus now switches to an already alarming number of vacant, or potentially soon to be vacant, positions on the intercounty scene.
In hurling, the future of Anthony Daly as Dublin manager remains unclear after a poor campaign that saw them fail to make it to an All-Ireland quarter-final after a shock defeat to Antrim and a comprehensive loss to Kilkenny in the Leinster championship.
Dublin, however, have progressed to the All-Ireland semi-finals in both the minor and under-21 competitions.
“There will be a review but nothing until after the under-21 campaign,” said permanent secretary of the Dublin County Board John Costello.
“Anthony was given a three-year term, he has served two years. He will be there next year unless he declines it.”
Daly was unavailable for comment yesterday.
Meanwhile, Kernan indicated yesterday he doesn’t intend on returning to intercounty management in the foreseeable future, but in the same breath he would have raised the eyebrows of those seeking a new football manager in several counties.
“I don’t think so. The main reason that going to Galway enticed me was the bloodline. I was going to my mother’s county. Never say never, but at this minute in time, no. I put a lot of effort into Galway and wanted to do it again, but unfortunately it didn’t happen,” added Kernan.
It was confirmed yesterday Kernan’s decision to step down as Galway manager came after he was informed that due to the expense the football board were incurring two of his backroom team would need to be replaced next year with locally-based coaches.
Galway football board chairman John Joe Holleran stated that cutting costs was the primary reason for this request: “We would not be in a position to sustain that really. The cost of travel and the cost of everything is a big issue.
“We felt we just wouldn’t be able to do that. We’d have no problem with Joe himself continuing on again but we had hoped that the others could have been done here locally.”
Kevin Walsh refuses to discuss the now vacant Galway managerial position until his commitments to the Sligo junior team is complete.
The juniors – Walsh also manages the senior panel – defeated Louth last Monday to qualify for the All-Ireland final.
Sligo last won the All-Ireland football title at junior level in 1935 and Walsh knows it will be a huge opportunity to end the year on a high against either Kerry or Lancashire who meet in the other semi-final this weekend.
“That’s my sole concern at the moment. It is an opportunity for Sligo to win an All-Ireland and I will be putting all my effort into helping achieve that,” said Walsh, who is even-money favourite to land his native Galway job.
