Galway reported to have their man

Ger Loughnane is reported to have accepted the job as Galway senior hurling manager.

Sources from the county last night confirmed that the former All-Ireland winning Clare manager has made the decision to take over from Conor Hayes. Loughnane is now expected to finalise his backroom squad during the next few days.

The other candidates for the position - Clare's Pat O'Connor and Davy Fitzgerald, Galway minor boss Mattie Murphy, Portumna coach Seán Treacy and Seán Silke, who was part of the outgoing management structure - had all already pulled out of the race before last night.

The Laois football committee will also make a recommendation to replace Mick O'Dwyer over the weekend. Liam Kearns remains favourite for the job, but PRO Marcella Daly was adamant yesterday the position has not yet been filled and that interviews remain ongoing. County delegates will vote on a single nomination next Monday evening.

Tipperary have ratified John Owens as the senior football manager for the 2007 season. Owens was a selector under Séamus McCarthy for the past two seasons and will be joined on the management team by Jim Healy (Loughmore-Castleiney), John Phelan (Ardfinnan), and John Quinn (Eire Óg, Annacarty).

It had already been confirmed the Tipperary senior hurling management team of manager Michael "Babs" Keating and selectors Tom Barry and former All-Ireland winner John Leahy will continue in their roles for 2007.

Meanwhile, former Laois football star Danny Doogue has been given the all-clear following a long drawn-out disciplinary affair that began more than four months ago with a row at the end of his club Graiguecullen's SFC match with Ballylinan.

Doogue, who was Laois's leading scorer in their 1996 All-Ireland minor-winning season, was handed a 48-week suspension by Laois GAC after an altercation with a linesman as the game concluded on May 14th, with the club given a 1,000 fine.

Both the player and the club appealed that decision to the Leinster Council at the end of June and, when that failed, submitted claims to the Disputes Resolution Authority. The DRA found Laois GAC had breached rules in relation to procedures and also that he should have been allowed to call witnesses to the disciplinary hearing, a right he was denied.

The DRA directed Laois GAC to carry out a full investigation into the incidents which resulted in the striking of linesman, Rogan Headen, and the injuries sustained by Doogue.

A three-man committee made up of Tony Walsh, Donal Deegan and Andrew Broderick was charged with carrying out that investigation and cleared Doogue of any wrong-doing.

It has been an eventful summer for Laois GAC, who have had to deal with a number of serious disciplinary issues in recent months.

Doogue's brother, Seán, was hit with a 96-week ban for his role in an ugly melee that took place in a car park after a JFC quarter-final in July, having already served a six-month suspension earlier in the year, while Pat Hennessy from Kyle, and Clonad's Enda Norton have had six-month suspensions dished out to them arising out of incidents in separate championship outings.

And following Sunday's disgraceful scenes, which saw fighting spill into the O'Moore Park terraces, causing the abandonment of the Camross-Castletown SHC tie minutes from the end, there will be plenty more punishments handed down before the year is out.

Finally, Dromore officials have been told they must appeal to the Tyrone County Board over the outcome of last weekend's SFC semi-final replay before they can take their case to the Ulster Council. The club had lodged an objection at provincial level to Carrickmore's alleged incorrect use of a blood sub in the latter stages of the latter's 0-12 to 0-11 victory at Healy Park.

But Ulster Council PRO Martin McAviney confirmed that the council cannot hear such an appeal until the matter has been dealt with at county board level.

Tyrone county chairman Pat Darcy last night confirmed the board has now received notice of an appeal from Dromore but said plans are continuing to stage this Sunday's SFC final between defending champions Carrickmore and Errigal Ciarán.

"They (Dromore) have an appeal in and it's being considered at the minute," said Darcy. "The county final is going ahead on Sunday. . . All the arrangements are in place, referees appointed and everything else."