Kerry to unveil new O’Connor team tonight
Jack O'Connor is set to be ratified for a third term at the helm of the Kerry footballers tonight – and former Kingdom keeper Diarmuid Murphy may be joining him as a new selector.
O’Connor’s spell in charge ended after the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final defeat to Down earlier this month but County Board chiefs have been quick to agree a third term in charge for the Dromid man for the 2011 and subsequent campaigns.
County chairman Jerome Conway was remaining tightlipped last night when quizzed on the matter but is confident that his nomination will be ratified by delegates at tonight’s meeting of the board in Tralee.
It is understood O’Connor has had discussions with a number of potential new selectors, including former Limerick coach Donie Buckley, but it now appears unlikely the Castleisland man will be returning to his native county.
However a surprise candidate for the new management team is Murphy, who stepped down after the county’s All-Ireland success in 2009.
The Dingle man, who is based in Killarney where he works for Axa Insurance, is a shrewd and articulate candidate, and may end up replacing Eamonn Fitzmaurice on the selection committee. Outgoing selector Ger O’Keeffe is expected to remain alongside O’Connor.
Outlining the procedure involved at tonight’s meeting, Conway said: "I will be placing the name of a senior trainer and a management team before the county committee for ratification. There is plenty of speculation about the names of the individuals involved and I am not going to add to that speculation.
"Normally the county committee would be happy with the names proposed by the chairman. I have never yet heard of a county committee in Kerry failing to ratify the chairman’s choices."
