O'Mahony to decide

John O'Mahony is still contemplating his future as Galway football manager but it is expected that he will make a decision on whether to remain or step down before the National Football League starts on Sunday week.

The All-Ireland replay defeat to Kerry ended O'Mahony's three-year appointment and although there is huge support within the county for him to remain in the position for at least another year, he has yet to give the situation all the thought it requires.

"For the first few days after the final I wasn't thinking about it in any big way," he says. "It's up to me now to have a chat with a few people over the next week or so but I haven't really given it a whole lot of thought just yet.

"I want to be absolutely sure about making the commitment again but with the league coming up again so soon I will be making some sort of decision in the near future."

Since redelivering the Sam Maguire to Galway after a 32-year absence in 1998, O'Mahony's managerial skills have been unquestioned. This season's campaign was somewhat hindered by a succession of injuries, most notably the early loss of Ja Fallon, but in winning back the Connacht title and taking Galway to another All-Ireland final, he proved himself further to be one of the most successful managers of his generation.

Galway is one of only two counties that have yet to confirm the football manager position for next season. Tipperary are still looking for a replacement for Colm O'Flaherty while eight other counties have brought in new faces as this summer's championship ran its course.

Roscommon, Sligo, Carlow, Laois, Westmeath, Fermanagh, Donegal and Clare all have new names in charge from those that started the championship.

Of those, only Tom Cribbin of Laois was replaced after one season. Gay Sheerin of Roscommon, Brendan Lowry of Westmeath and Declan Bonner of Donegal had all been in charge for three years while Mickey Moran, who has moved from Sligo to Donegal, and Fermanagh's Pat King, were in their positions for four years.

Also replaced after the season were Cyril Hughes of Carlow and Tommy Curtin of Clare, who had both served two-year terms.

Sean Boylan of Meath - the longest serving manager in the country - and Tom Carr of Dublin both took time out to ponder their future after the disappointing championship performances but subsequently committed for another year. Next summer, of course, all the county managers will have more than one opportunity to prove their worth.