Peter Queally the favourite to succeed Michael Ryan as Waterford manager

Waterford have moved one step closer to finding a successor to Michael Ryan as their new hurling manager as Peter Queally has emerged as the leading candidate to take charge for 2014.

Queally is preparing the Passage club for Sunday’s county final against close rivals Ballygunner, and victory there wouldn’t do his chances of taking over from Ryan any harm, although the 2002 Munster championship winner remains the front-runner to get the job, ahead of Derek McGrath from the De La Salle club.

Limerick are also closing in on John Brudair to take over as their football manager, to succeed Maurice Horan. Brudair recently led St Patrick’s to the Limerick county football final and it is anticipated his name will go before the county board for ratification early next week.

There was no great surprise, meanwhile, when eight Clare hurlers were named on the Bord Gáis Energy under-21 hurling team of the year, although the big surprise was that All-Ireland senior final hero Shane O’Donnell was not one of them. Clare pulled off their first under-21-senior hurling double, and while O’Donnell was the star of the latter with a hat-trick of goals inside 20 minutes of the senior final replay win, his impact at under-21 level wasn’t enough to earn him a place among the six forwards.

His team-mates Padráic Collins and Tony Kelly, along with Stephen McAfee and Ciarán Clarke of Antrim, Stephen Quirke (Offaly) and Jason Forde (Tipperary), who finished the championship with a haul of 5-23, are included.

Clare goalkeeper Ronan Taffe is between the posts behind Banner captain Paul Flanagan and team-mate David McInerney, while Seadna Morey has been selected at right-half back and St Josephs/Doora Barefield’s Alan O’Neill at centre-back. All four were members of the senior panel. Kilkenny’s Brian Kennedy and Ray Barry of Waterford complete the defence, while Clare’s Colm Galvin joins Wexford dual star Lee Chin in midfield. The player of the year and score of the year awards will be presented at the Bord Gáis Energy team of the year award ceremony to be televised on TG4 at 8.30pm on Saturday.