Naughton gets Dublin post

Dublin have put together a new hurling management which will take over the senior team for the next two years. County board chairman John Bailey finalised the positions last night, with Tommy Naughton ratified as the new senior manager.

Naughton, the former under-21 manager, took over as interim manager during the summer after Humphrey Kelleher was sacked following a disappointing series of defeats. Although he initially ruled himself out of any full-time position, Naughton was since re-approached by the board and asked to reconsider.

Naughton will be joined by Andy Cunningham, who also worked with him as part of the interim management and before that as part of the Dublin under-21 management. The other two positions have gone to Mick O'Riordan, a former senior selector, and to Damien Byrne of the Cuala club, a former Dublin goalkeeper.

Bailey said: "It was always going to be the whole team or nothing. And we want to give them two years, not just the one, to get rid of all this uncertainty.

"We've considered this for a while now, and I'd like to give a big appreciation to the likes of Joe Lyons, who will continue as team masseur, and to Tommy Ryan, for his previous contribution to the team."

Naughton had a positive impact on the team when coming in for Kelleher, guiding them to some respectable results in the qualifier rounds of the hurling championship. He also had the respect of the players and managed to regain the services of several of those who had opted out during Kelleher's year and a half in charge.

Bailey, meanwhile, has criticised the lack of co-operation by the Meath County Board with regard to Sunday's opening round of the Leinster club hurling championship. The Dublin champions are due out on Sunday afternoon against Meath champions Killyon.

However, this causes problems for Dublin whose county final is being played on Friday night, with a 7.30 start under the lights in Parnell Park. It means the winners of the UCD-St Vincent's tie will have only one day to recover before their Leinster championship date.

"We tried to have the Leinster tie put back until the Monday," explained Bailey, "but Meath wouldn't accommodate that. I don't think that's keeping with the spirit of the game. I know if someone asks us we always try to facilitate. It was within their grasp to put it off to the Monday. And obviously if we have a draw on the Friday then we're in awful trouble.

"If we do end up needing an extension then that's something we'll have to put to the Leinster Council. But right now it means the winners on Friday are being asked to play three major matches in eight days, as we only had our semi-finals last weekend.

"That's not very fair. And if St Vincent's win it will mean a lot to them, and they won't even have one night to enjoy it. They have to refocus straight away."