GAELIC GAMES:IT WILL be several weeks before the Galway Hurling Board appoint a replacement for Ger Loughnane as county hurling manager following his unceremonious sacking at Monday night's board meeting in Athenry, writes Ian O'Riordan

Clubs have been given 14 days to put forward potential candidates, with ratification not expected until after the county hurling final on November 2nd.

Loughnane's exit - as close as it was, with delegates voting 28 to 26 against his ratification for a third year in charge - nonetheless suggests a split down the middle of the hurling board, which may yet prolong the replacement process.

Although there was only a short debate before his position went to a vote, there had been deeply conflicting reports regarding the level of backing for Loughnane in the wake of Galway's exit from the championship back in July.

A meeting amongst a section of county players only last weekend added to that conflict, and while talk of a push for Loughane's removal was denied, arguing they were only seeking a shake-up to Loughnane's backroom team, it may well have proved influential.

In the meantime, hurling board chairman Miko Ryan, commenting briefly, said Loughnane's removal was carried out in a democratic manner,

"The clubs were all mandated coming into the meeting, and carried out the vote as told," he said. "There were just two votes in it in the end. I hate to see anybody going to vote, because it's sad when you see somebody lose, but at times like this there has to be a loser."

It sends Galway back to the drawing board at senior county level, something they're becoming well used to in their quest to for a first All-Ireland title since 1988.

It has been suggested Loughnane effectively signed his own resignation letter by claiming he would be a failure unless he delivered that All-Ireland to Galway within two years, and with that two years now elapsed, a third year in charge was deemed one too many, even though it had been agreed on his original appointment.

County press officer Séamus Finnerty said his effective sacking wasn't particularly surprising. "There were a lot of conflicting reports going around, and it was always going to be close," he said. "And in the end there were only two votes in it. But it is back to drawing board now. It's as if Galway likes to go back to the drawing board every two years or so."

The contenders to replace Loughnane are still led by Offaly's 1998 All-Ireland winning manager Michael Bond and Jimmy Heverin, who guided Portumna to two All-Ireland club tiles in the last three years.

Elsewhere, Meath's senior football management football situation took another twist yesterday when Luke Dempsey withdrew his candidacy after apparently failing to get the necessary backing to replace Colm Coyle at Monday's county board meeting. It now seems inevitable Eamonn O'Brien will be ratified when the county board meet again next Monday.

Dempsey, the former Westmeath, Carlow and Longford manager, had been tipped as the number one candidate, only for two members of the five-man selection committee to question that candidacy when it came before Monday's meeting.

"When the executive couldn't push through my nomination, for whatever reasons, last night, my position became untenable," Dempsey explained. "And no matter what they decide, I am actually withdrawing from the race."

The Wexford county board met last night to discuss the implications of John Meyler's surprise removal as county hurling manager earlier this month.

However, earlier yesterday former captain Keith Rossiter said the players had been behind Meyler and were therefore oblivious to any moves to get rid of him:

"We're going to miss him. He brought in a lot of young fellas, that strengthened the panel enormously. I'd like to thank him for the two years he put in, but there was no such thing as player power involved. The players express their views, that's about it, but we didn't go to a vote or anything like that."

Finally, a joint-ticket of Charlie Mulgrew and Declan Bonner has become the frontrunner for the vacant Donegal football management position.