IT’S not obligatory of the all-powerful committee entrusted with choosing the next manager of the Shannonside Senior Hurling Team to stick with the ‘Limerick Ten’ as announced at the monthly meeting of the County Board eight days ago at Claughaun.

Of those proposed, it’s understood that McCarthy would be slow to move into another inter-county management’s job following his sudden departure from Waterford earlier in the Summer.

All the rest remain contenders with former county full-back (and indeed full-forward) TJ Ryan suggesting this week that the new incumbent should be from Limerick.

“Everyone is asking me should we go for an insider or an outsider and my personal view is that we should opt for an insider,” he stated.

“If the right guy for the job is an insider go with him, as he will always bring you that bit more passion to the position.”

The comments are most interesting in light of Ryan’s club, Garryspillane, annexing their first and only Limerick Senior Hurling Championship under a non-local in Tony Considine three short years ago.

Considine, known to be bitterly disappointed not to have secured the Limerick vacancy following Joe McKenna’s quick exit in 2006, is a leading contender for the role on this occasion. If he were to become Limerick boss, Ryan would be short-priced to become a mentor in the management structure.

“I’m not so sure about that now,” insisted Ryan when quizzed on the issue, and who some feel is a real dark horse in the race himself.

“Look whoever gets the job, it’s not the most lucrative at the moment in the sense of what has been a disappointing year for the county but there’s potential there, with a few from the U21s–who were unlucky to lose out to Tipperary–and the Intermediates who went to the All-Ireland Final around the place. And, look this thing about discipline has always been bandied about but to me there are only question marks about one or two players and that can all be sorted out.”

“Anyway, Munster is always going to be competitive, with Cork and Waterford, and now Tipperary showing even further improvement these days.”

Limerick is unlikely to be in a position to put before delegates at next Tuesday’s County Board meeting its recommended choice for the two-year job.

Talented Ryan opts to stay put

IAN Ryan has turned down an offer to sign-up with leading Australian Football Club Essendon in Melbourne, from which he has just returned after a two-week trial.

The brilliant Limerick attacker was also scheduled to a similar home trial in Mayo inside the last week but was one of several players who opted to give the exercise a miss.

Ryan, who is certainly a towering figure at 6’2” and still a teenager, came to the notice of AFL scouts during Limerick’s National League campaign of the Spring, but more so during an exciting and extended run in the championship.

He was also picked-out from an earlier Aussie Rules Training Camp staged at the University of Limerick at the outset of the Summer.

“It was a tremendous experience being involved in a full-time set-up for two weeks, and Essendon couldn’t have treated me better,” Ryan said.

“And, it was a fairly intensive two weeks–I only had four days off over that period. Everything about the set-up was very professional and first-class, and a lot of my time was spent practicing and being coached in the kicking, hand-passing and ball-bouncing skills.”

“But after giving the matter a lot of thought, I’ve decided that I’d prefer to continue playing gaelic football rather than making the chance to Aussie Rules. I was reared playing gaelic football, and I feel it’s a much faster and more free-flowing game than Aussie Rules which has so many stoppages for marks when players catch the ball cleanly.”

He added: “As well, I’ve come to the conclusion that for me gaelic football is more of a hobby rather than something I’d like to be involved-in full-time, if it were possible. So the full-time element of Aussie Rules wouldn’t be a plus for me. In this regards, I’m like Sean Cavanagh (Tyrone) whom I’ve seen has said that being a full-time sportsman wouldn’t appeal to him.”

Ryan has just completed his first year of a teacher-training course at Limerick’s Mary Immaculate College and clearly wants to follow the career part chosen by his father Joe, who was a great star of the club scene with St Senan’s across several decades and also with various county teams more than two decades ago.

During this Summer past, Ryan was employed by the Limerick GAA Board as a coach at their hugely successful Summer Camps throughout the county.

Next-up for the likeable Ryan is a Live 95FM Limerick Senior Football Championship quarter-final outing with St. Senan’s against their great rivals Newcastle West in Dromcollogher on Sunday week.

Kilkenny prove too hot for Limerick to handle

THERE were no real excuses offered in the Limerick camp following their 1-16 to 0-13 loss against quadruple-seeking Kilkenny at Semple Stadium in Thurles.

It was a win that held the classic traits of a Kilkennny triumph. The teams were toe-to-toe in an exceptionally free-flowing opening half, after which only a few points separated them, but gradually as the contest moved further forward the Cats picked-off scores with much greater ease against a Limerick side that struggled for long periods up-front.

In reality, the outing was decided in the blink of an eye.

Replacement Eoin Hennebry floated in a cross, which Paddy Hogan tipped to the net for his umpteenth goal of the season.

That score pushed Kilkenny, without a win at this level since Limerick’s famous senior triumph over them of way back in 1973, sere suddenly six points ahead with less than ten minutes left.

“His goal was definitely a nail in the coffin for Limerick. I though we were a bit better but couldn’t show it on the scoreboard,” stated Kilkenny manager Pat Hoban.

Goal chances weren’t really all that aplenty for the eventual masters and Limerick had a fair few opportunities to raise green flags themselves, particularly when skipper Alan O’Connor’s fair effort was turned around the post for a ’65 by a very alert netminder in Liam Tierney.

That opening came before the game’s only goal as did an equally determined effort from Andrew Brennan, once if not twice in that hectic first 30 minutes.

Ten years ago, Kilkenny had a certain Henry Shefflin on their XV that lost to Limerick in the final at the same venue and Hogan, who grabbed 1-6 in this decider, is another player certain to make the step-up to the top bracket sooner rather than later.

On the Limerick side too there were many quality displays offered-up by the likes of the veteran Ciaran Carey, Brennan, Paudie McNamara and most notably by Knockaderry’s Tom Condon.

Carey is unlikely to reappear, while Brennan and McNamara have been there briefly in the past and Condon is worth a trial, having also proving his worth of late at minor and U21 level with the Shannonsiders.

“Certainly some of those lads are capable of making the step-up,” declared Limerick selector Pat Heffernan.

“We’re disappointed, naturally to have lost this but Kilkenny were a very strong side all over the pitch, but still we’re after a very good campaign, having won a tough Munster championship with wins over Clare and Tipperary, in their home patch.

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