Moloney puzzled by snub

KILRUSH manager Aidan Moloney has expressed surprise at the fact that nobody from the committee appointed to find a new senior football manager contacted him.

 

The Kilmurry Ibrickane man and 1992 Munster championship winner had publicly expressed an interested in becoming involved in the new management team.

This year Kilrush reached the semi-final of the Clare Senior Football Championship in his first year in charge. They lost to two-in-a-row county champions Kilmurry Ibrickane by a point in the semi-final replay. Moloney was in charge of Cooraclare last year when they were beaten by a point by Kilmurry at the quarter-final stage of the championship, while Cooraclare won the Cusack Cup in 2009 under his management.

“It would have only been proper that anybody who had shown interest would have been contacted by the committee,” Moloney told The Clare Champion on Wednesday.

“I was open to anything although I was interested in the managers job. But if I had seen the right set up, I would have got involved in some capacity,” he explained.

The former Clare midfielder and full-back believes he has picked up valuable management experience during his stints with Kilrush, Cooraclare and Shannon Gaels since commencing his club management career in 2006.

“I’ve been around a few teams and I think I have the experience required. I’m not coming in straight off the playing field, without a bit of experience. I feel that I have put my time in with clubs. If that’s not good enough, I don’t know what’s good enough,” Moloney concluded.

Kilrush and Kilmurry Ibrickane GAA clubs will have an opportunity to offer support to Aidan Moloney at Friday’s county board meeting, which has been called to ratify Mick O’Dwyer.

Breen questions choice
CLARE County Councillor James Breen has driven a political football into the Clare GAA mix by pleading with Clare clubs to say no to Mick O’Dwyer. The Kerry legend is due to be ratified at Friday’s county board meeting in Ennis. However Breen, who is a member of Inagh-Kilnamona, is adamant that the appointment, if it’s ratified, is the wrong one.

“It’s a step back for Clare football. While I recognise that Mick O’Dwyer was a great coach and a great footballer, at this point in time I don’t think he has anything to offer to Clare football. We should go for a younger man, with younger ideas and better coaching skills at this point in time,” Councillor Breen said.

He referred to the “mushroom” label used by a former county manager in his depiction of Clare County Board delegates.

“Ger Loughnane categorised Clare delegates some time ago when he described them as mushrooms going into the county board meetings. I’m calling on the delegates to stand up and resist this appointment. I’m following football all my life. I’ve rarely missed a county final since I started going to GAA games. Clubs will have to stand up and be counted and not allow this to happen,” he stated.

“I spoke to people when I realised that Micko was being appointed. One said to me that if he’s appointed that he’ll never go to a football match in Clare again. He’s a 77-year-old man and was a great man but he’s not the man to look after Clare football,” Councillor Breen concluded.