THERE IS speculation in Clare that Michael McNamara will tender his resignation as senior hurling manager within the next week.
The long awaited meeting between players, a county board delegation and McNamara was scheduled to take place last night after being postponed last week due to flooding in parts of the county.
It was expected that the players would confirm that their stance on wanting a new manager had not softened. Sources in the county say that McNamara was anxious to “eyeball” the players and hear their arguments but that he wasn’t expected to prolong the controversy that has dragged on in the county over the past number of weeks.
“If we can resolve the issue then we go forward,” the manager said last month. “If we don’t resolve the issue, then we won’t be dragging things out until next March, I can assure you of that.”
It is believed, however, that the players have not changed their position on wanting a change despite the county board backing the manager unanimously at last month’s meeting after hearing the panel’s representations.
County chair Michael O’Neill has been out of the country due to work commitments but returned yesterday.
The next county committee meeting was originally scheduled for this day week but because of GAA president Christy Cooney’s request that counties discuss the GAA- GPA agreement of last week in advance of next Saturday’s Central Council meeting in Croke Park, that meeting may be brought forward to Thursday.
It’s a busy week in the county with the banquet for the All-Ireland winning under-21s taking place on Friday and county football champions Kilmurry Ibrickane contesting next Sunday’s Munster club football final against Kerry’s Kerins O’Rahilly’s in Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds.
McNamara has served as manager for the past two years, bringing the county to a first Munster final in nine years in 2008 but struggling to improve on that this summer after a poor league campaign that ended in relegation to Division Two.
Sunday’s Connacht club final ended in disappointment for Mayo champions Charlestown, but the weekend provided some consolation for goalkeeper John Casey.
Thirteen years after appearing at full-forward in Mayo’s run to the replayed 1996 All-Ireland final, the 35-year-old was selected as the Mayo News Club Stars Player of the Year on Friday.
A series of inspirational displays as Charlestown won a third Mayo senior title saw Casey hold off former All Star Kevin O’Neill from Knockmore and Charlestown team-mates David “Ginger” Tiernan, Richie Haren and Mark Caffrey in the vote conducted on the Mayo News website.
Casey has been playing in goal for his club intermittently since 2001 by which stage injuries had all but ended his outfield career.
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