O'Dowd ratified as Meath boss
The ratification of Mick O’Dowd as Meath’s new senior football manager took place at a County Board meeting in Navan last night.
The ex-Skryne and Meath player has been given a three-year term with his club colleague Trevor Giles and former coach Sean Kelly, as expected, installed as selectors.
The 39-year-old O‘Dowd, who coached Skryne to the Meath SFC title in 2004, succeeds Seamus McEnaney who stepped down from the Royal post in August.
Colm O’Rourke, Graham Geraghty and Paddy Carr were also in the running for the position, but the time seems right for O’Dowd to take the reins.
First on his list will be challenging for promotion back into Allianz League Division 2 after a disappointing 2012 campaign.
The Royals have been drawn to face the winners of Wicklow v Longford in the quarter-finals of next summer’s Leinster Championship.
Meanwhile, current Simonstown coach Sean Barry has been appointed as the new Meath Under-21 football manager.
He has been given a two-year term, and his backroom team will include Paraic Lyons, Cormac Sullivan and Tom Hanley.
Cillian Farrell, the former Offaly player, has been retained as Meath senior hurling supremo for a third season along with selector Nicky Fitzgerald.
Up north, newly-appointed Antrim senior football manager Frank Dawson has brought Down native Cathal Murray and Lamh Dhearg clubman Kevin Murray on board as part of his backroom team.
Cathal Murray had a successful run with St. Colman’s College, guiding them to MacRory and Hogan Cup triumphs. He was a member of the Clonduff team that Dawson managed to Down SFC glory in 2000.
