*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
ALL INTERVIEWS have been held with a decision imminent on who will become the next Clare senior football manager.
A four-person committee of Clare GAA Head of Operations, Deirdre Murphy, Clare GAA Chairman, Kieran Keating, ex Clare minor football manager Dermot Coughlan and former Clare forward David Tubridy met with shortlisted candidates over the past fortnight.
Configuration of this interview board was done prior to the October meeting of the County Board meaning clubs had no input to the process. Similarly, members of the Clare senior football panel have also been kept in the dark following Mark Fitzgerald’s surprise exit as manager and before the four-person group was established.
Chairman Keating told the October meeting of the County Board, “We hope to have a recommendation for the next meeting and if we have news before that we will inform the officers”.
The Clare Echo understands that six candidates have now been interviewed for the position. They include Declan Downes, Declan O’Keeffe, John Evans, John Fintan Daly, Michael Neylon and a sixth individual who was interviewed on Sunday.
Support for outgoing selector Downes to get the role is believed to be strong among members of the 2024 squad and respected long-serving members of the county football backroom team.
His proposed management team is reported to include Gerry McGowan who served as coach under Colm Collins with Clare and with Davy Burke’s Roscommon set-up in 2023. The former Sligo footballer was also joint manager of Tourlestrane senior team who became the first club team in Sligo to win five championships in a row.
2001 All-Ireland winner with Galway and All Star, Kieran Fitzgerald is also understood to be part of Downes’ proposed ticket along with highly respected S&C coach Mike Comer who held the role with Corofin when they won the All-Ireland club title in 2020, the ex Galway footballer was also part of Pádraic Joyce’s Galway set-up and owns Velocity Fitness in Tuam, while as a player he won two Connacht SFC medals.
Former Kerry goalkeeper Declan O’Keeffe who was part of Colm Collins’ management as goalkeeper coach and previously held the same role with Roscommon’s senior footballers was one of the last candidates interviewed for the role. The two-time All-Ireland winner and All Star is held in high regard by those that have worked closely with him and would be viewed as an ambitious manager keen to get Clare back to Division 2 and remain in the All-Ireland SFC.
Following inter-county coaching stints, he took on the manager’s job with St Breckan’s and guided them to the Clare SFC final in 2023, the North Clare side were eliminated by rivals Ennistymon in this year’s quarter-finals.
Already ratified to continue as Clare U20 manager, Michael Neylon had been the initial front-runner for the job. The Miltown Malbay man is set for a fifth season with the U20s having previously served as a selector with both Mick O’Dwyer and Colm Collins at senior level. His reputation in the club scene is high having led St Joseph’s Miltown to lift the Jack Daly on two occasions.
Jerome Stack who managed St Brigid’s to reach the All-Ireland club decider last year is part of Neylon’s proposed team. The Tralee man also led Feale Rangers to win the Kerry SFC in 2007 and oversaw Dromcollogher-Broadford winning a Limerick SFC, he has coached both Limerick and Laois at senior inter-county level and was previously involved with Lissycasey when they survived a relegation scare. Stack is currently coaching Cork club Castlehaven, who are aiming to retain their Cork SFC title when they take on Nemo Rangers.
Nine time Clare SFC winner Evan Talty who has coached the Roscommon U20 footballers along with managing the Galway senior ladies footballers and Clare’s intermediate was believed to be on board for Neylon’s U20 set-up as head coach prior to the senior vacancy emerging but time commitments involved in a senior squad has forced him to step aside at this moment, however the Kilmurry Ibrickane clubman could yet form part of the Clare backroom.
Five years on from his last inter-county role, Kerry native John Evans is among the candidates in contention for the Clare job. Evans has managed Tipperary, Roscommon and Wicklow at senior level. He was in charge of Cork side Cill na Martra who won the All-Ireland intermediate club in January, beating Kilmihil in the Munster club. S&C coach Keith Carr who was formerly involved with Brian Lohan is mooted as part of Evans’ line-up.
Evans’ last inter-county role was with Wicklow where he was manager in 2018 and 2019. He had a three year stint in charge of Roscommon where they went from Division 3 in the Allianz National Football League in 2013 to Division 1 in 2015. He also guided Tipperary from Division 4 to Division 2 in the National League, stepping down after a fourth campaign in 2012.
Experienced Cork coach John Fintan Daly had no finalised management when he was interviewed for the role but put up a strong case. Daly’s coaching career has spanned four decades and includes guiding his own club Knocknagree to win the All-Ireland junior club football title in 2018, Duhallow to win the Cork SFC in 1990 and 1991, Cork to win the All-Ireland U21 title in 1994 and Kerry club Milltown/Castlemaine to win the All-Ireland intermediate club in 2012.
Speaking on The Clare Echo’s podcast, Clare footballer Cian Burke outlined, “It was very sad news with Mark stepping down, every lad on the squad was delighted to have him in thjs year, when you get to know him he is a great man, he is very approachable, he is a great communicator, he gives lads that are trying a chance and even myself I was in there for twelve weeks and I got a chance to impress and get game time, we’re sad to see him step down because it will be tough to get someone of his calibre, it does seem like it is a decision that needs to be made soon because we are approaching that time of year when lads need to be getting their gym plans and we are a very young squad so we need to get into the gym and bulk up and be working with an S&C coach, it is a decision that needs to be made soon”.
