No news from GAA officials about the manager

The race to fill the position of new Meath senior football manager vacated by Colm Coyle following the All-Ireland SFC qualifier defeat by Limerick is as clear as muddied water with only days remaining until the close of nominations for the role. Co Committee chairman Barney Allen was reluctant to reveal any information about who has been nominated and he declined to confirm whether or not the names will be announced to the public when the noon deadline passes on Friday. 'I have no idea who will be the manager. We are still accepting nominations and will do so up until Friday. 'After that we will have to contact the people nominated to see if they are willing to go forward for interview. 'Even after Friday, I don"t know if we will release the names to the public because that just raises unnecessary speculation,' added the chairman who is in his first year at the helm. Several names have already been linked to the post, but Allen couldn"t confirm if any of the high-profile candidates were actually amongst those put forward by club delegates so far. Although Colm O"Rourke, Gerry McEntee and several others have publicly stated that they would not take the job, that doesn"t prevent clubs from nominating them. Therefore, it is likely that by noon on Friday, as many as a dozen names could be in the frame for the top job, but that number will be significantly reduced before the interview process begins. Of all the candidates suggested since Coyle departed, only selector Dudley Farrell and former boss Eamonn Barry have indicated that they would be interested in the job. Former Meath player Mattie Kerrigan hinted that he might like the challenge if he was asked, but many of the other possible contenders have so far played their cards close to their chests. Current Navan O"Mahonys boss Sean Kelly remains favourite for the position, but with no odds on offer from local bookmakers it is hard to pin point just who is leading the race for the job. A couple of other names have been suggested over the weekend with Rathkenny"s Eamonn O"Brien on the tip of most people"s tongues. Other candidates bandied about include former Meath legends Liam Hayes, Bernard Flynn and Jody Devine, but at this stage of the race, it is anyone"s guess who will succeed Coyle.