GAA NEWS:LIAM KEARNS has failed to make the shortlist for the position of Galway senior football manager, although he is still likely to be interviewed by the county board.

Clubs in Galway nominated seven candidates ahead of last Monday night’s deadline, and Kearns – the early favourite to succeed Joe Kernan – was not among them. However the former Laois and Limerick manager can be interviewed by the Galway football board on a “wild card” basis, as their pick wasn’t necessarily limited to the club nominations.

Kearns was previously linked to the Galway position six years ago, and although he remained with Limerick that time, re-emerged as the most likely candidate on this occasion, particularly after former Galway All-Ireland winner Kevin Walsh re-committed to Sligo.

In the meantime, former Offaly manager Gerry Fahy is among the definite contenders. A selector when Val Daly was in charge of Galway in 1997, Fahy guided the Galway minors to the All-Ireland semi-final this year.

Former Westmeath manager Tomás Ó Flatharta has also been nominated, along with Peter Warren, John O’Mahony’s former selector in the 1998 and 2001 Galway All-Ireland wins.

Former Mayo midfielder Pat Fallon, who has guided Barna to the semi-finals of the Galway SFC, and Annaghdown’s Matt Duggan complete the list.

Two of the nominations – Galway’s All-Ireland winning centre back in 1998, John Divilly, and the former Clare and Caltra boss Frank Doherty – have had their names withdrawn. Galway will now select a committee to interview the candidates, with the hope of appointing the new manager by the end of the month.

In Mayo, seven candidates were also nominated to succeed John O’Mahony as their football manager, including Mick O’Dwyer, and they’ve been given two weeks to submit their plans to a sub-committee of the county board.

O’Dwyer’s name was put forward by clubs along with John Maughan, James Horan, Denis Kearney, Anthony McGarry, Tommy Lyons and Tommy Carr, Mayo chairman James Waldron told Monday night’s meeting of the county board.

However, there was some heated debate on the night.

Two delegates described some of the candidates as “failed managers” and a number of delegates expressed a preference for a manager from within the county.

Others said they had no objection to an outsider, and took exception to the use of the phrase “failed managers”.

One club delegate then proposed that each candidate should outline his plans in document form, and explain how they would address the issues facing football in the county.

A sub-committee made up of chairman James Waldron, secretary Seán Feeney, treasurer JP Lambe and vice-chairman Paddy McNicholas will assess the information submitted, and the chairman promised to report back to delegates before any interviews are held – with a time-frame of two weeks set down for submissions of plans.

Meath have also begun the search for a new football manager after Eamonn O’Brien was surprisingly out-voted, 32-29, for another year in charge at a county board meeting in Navan.

O’Brien took charge in November 2008, succeeding Colm Coyle, and took Meath to a place in the All-Ireland semi-finals in his first year in charge.

This year Meath won their first Leinster title in nine years, even though it came by beating Louth in controversial circumstances – and yet now find themselves seeking their fourth manager since the retirement of Seán Boylan in 2005. Colm O’Rourke is among the likely contenders, along with other former players Gerry McEntee and Trevor Giles.

Tom Cribbin has been re-appointed as Offaly senior football manager for a third year.