Considine for Cork
Friday March 13 2009
JOHN CONSIDINE was last night appointed as the interim manager of the Cork senior hurling team at a meeting of the county board at Pirc U Chaoimh.
Considine, who is expected to be in charge for the next two Allianz NHL games, against Clare and Limerick, beat Donal O’Grady in an election by 77 votes to 39 after nominations were sought from delegates at the meeting.
Delegates had wished to be able to go back to their clubs to discuss the interim manager and also had reservations as to whether anybody chosen last night would be interested in doing the job.
The two nominations were for 2004 All-Ireland-winning manager O’Grady, who was the favoured choice of the 2008 senior hurling panel, and the county’s U-21 hurling management committee, of which Considine, an All-Ireland winner with Cork in 1990, is currently manager.
He will be joined by selectors Tony O’Sullivan, Jim Cashman, Denis Ring and Paddy Daly as the county look to avoid relegation to Division 2 of the National League, having lost their three opening games.
The question of how a full-time manager will be appointed will be answered at a meeting of the board next Monday night, with a total of 10 proposals put forward at last night’s meeting.
These proposals will be emailed to clubs tomorrow, with the proposal of the county board’s executive looking the likeliest to get the nod. This proposal would see three Cork hurling people being appointed by the Central Council of the GAA, who would then recommending a manager for the county board to approve.
Cork chairman Jerry O’Sullivan said that he felt this was the best proposal, as it would be overseen by GAA Director General Paraic Duffy and would “take it out of realm of local politics and disputes and disagreements.”
These proposals will now be taken back to the clubs and one will be chosen at the meeting next Monday night.
The question also arose at the meeting as to whether Gerald McCarthy’s four selectors – Johnny Keane, Teddy McCarthy, Ger Fitzgerald and John Mortell – were considered to have left their positions, as none had announced their resignations.
O’Sullivan said that the selectors were chosen by the manager, and so were deemed to have left their posts when the manager left. To a request from the floor by Bishopstown delegate Bob Honohan that the board put on record its gratitude to McCarthy, O’Sullivan said that the executive fully endorsed everything said about McCarthy and that what had happened was saddening.
Honohan also said that the 2008 panel had serious questions to answer in light of McCarthy’s resignation statement, namely the allegation that senior players had urged others not to attend his mother’s funeral.
- Cliona Foley