Morris is forced to let Kehoe go

Dublin hurling manager Marty Morris has been forced to drop Nicky Kehoe as one of his selectors after some confusion over the exact make-up of his management team as agreed under the terms of his recent appointment.

The management team was up for ratification at the Dublin County Board meeting in Parnell Park on Monday night, their first full meeting of the year. While the position of Morris and two selectors Mick O'Riordan and Tommy Ryan was ratified, the nomination of Kehoe was withdrawn on the night after it had become clear that a further selector was not part of the intended management make-up originally laid down by the county board.

At his unveiling as new senior manager in late December, Morris announced O'Riordan and Ryan as his two selectors, and Sean Beakey as team trainer. It was understood at the time that he could name a third selector, whom he confirmed as Kehoe.

"It was just one of those things," explained Morris yesterday. "There was some misunderstanding when I was appointed around Christmas, maybe a case where the terms of reference that I'd been given had not been clearly set out.

"I know the structures for my management team are exactly the same as given to the football, but our situation was a little different in that I brought Sean Beakey, who is a full-time trainer and whose primary role was going to be the physical preparation of the team.

"Sean wouldn't come from a hurling background, and it was never the intention for him to double as a selector as well. But it meant that if I were to bring in a third selector at this point, in addition to Sean, it would have been outside the terms of reference.

"It was something that was out of my hands, but I'm happy to go with what I've got for the time being. It was a little embarrassing for me to let Nicky go, but we'll soldier on with what we have, and I certainly don't want it to have any effect on the team. We've got a bit of momentum going with the team at the moment and the most important thing is to keep that going."

There had been some speculation that the management would require some change because there was no representation from southside clubs. Morris comes from O'Tooles, with O'Riordan from St Oliver Plunkett/Eoghan Ruadh and Ryan from Craobh Chiarain. Kehoe was also from a northside club Naomh Fionnbarra.

"Of course if we were to be politically correct then yes, there should be some representation from a southside club," said Morris. "I had one or two people in mind, but to be honest, there weren't a whole lot of people putting their hands up.

"The reason I went for Nicky and Mick, in addition to Tommy Ryan, is that I knew they had both applied for the job as a manager as well, and so I knew they had a strong interest. And when we talked it was clear they were still willing to come on board and work with me, which was obviously a strong indication of how much they cared about Dublin hurling."

Morris added, however, that there could yet be clearance for a third selector in the future.