Dave Keane was last night confirmed as manager of the Limerick senior hurling team, succeeding Eamonn Cregan whose term ended with the one-point defeat to Cork in the qualifiers at the end of June. He has been given an initial two-year term.
Keane is Limerick's under-21 manager, and on Sunday he will seek a third successive All-Ireland title with the team when they meet Galway in Thurles.
A native of Cork and now living in Adare, Keane was described last night by Limerick County Board chairman Donal Fitzgibbon as the obvious man for the job.
It is expected that Keane's two under-21 selectors, Dave Punch and John Meskell, will join him to complete the management team. A decision on the selectors will be made in consultation with Keane.
Fitzgibbon told the county delegates at last night's board meeting that Keane had both the best credentials and was the favoured candidate with the board executive.
Keane has also worked closely with his club, Adare, and helped guide them to their first Limerick senior championship title last season, while this season they are set to contest the semi-finals.
Last month, however, the Limerick board expressed their disappointment that in their search for a new senior manager only five out of the 70 clubs in the county sent written views to the board secretary regarding their opinions on a replacement for Cregan.
The five clubs who replied were Dromin/Athlacca, Ahane, Na Piarsaigh, Newcastle West and Garryspillane, and it is understood four of the clubs nominated proposed individuals and another suggested a management team.
Elsewhere, Sean Boylan will stay on as Meath football manager for a record 21st consecutive year, but he had to endure some tight opposition from current Dunshaughlin club manager Eamonn Barry.
Boylan was returned as manager by the county board on Monday night after winning a 49-30 vote. It is understood, however, Barry received strong support from clubs in north Meath. The Walterstown native has managed Dunshaughlin to the last two county championships and was in charge of the Meath junior team in recent years. He also played under Boylan in the early 1980s.
The last notable challenge to Boylan's leadership came after the 10-point defeat to Dublin in the Leinster final of 1995, yet he won that vote by a landslide margin and guided Meath to an All-Ireland success the following year.
In another reappointment, Justin McCarthy's position as Waterford hurling manager was also ratified at a county board meeting on Monday night. McCarthy led Waterford to their first Munster crown since 1963 this summer, and was returned unopposed. His co-selectors Seamie Hannon and Colm Bonnar have also been reappointed.
Elsewhere, Dublin's Ray Cosgrove yesterday received his Vodafone Player of the Month award for August. The Kilmacud Crokes forward scored a total of 6-23 in the championship before Armagh knocked Dublin out in the All-Ireland semi-final, a game in which he scored 0-6.
