Stormy session at the Áras

Meath senior football manager Seamus McEnaney's new backroom team was unveiled at Monday night's stormy Co Committee meeting at Aras Tailteann with Graham Geraghty taking on the vacant selector's role. Geraghty had denied any knowledge about, or interest in, the role when contacted by meathchronicle.ie last Friday. However, the first step in Geraghty's appointment was completed two days earlier (Wednesday 7th September) when he was ratified at a management committee meeting. And McEnaney told the Meath Chronicle last week that there was no prospects of a swift replacement for Paul Grimley who walked out on the Royal County to return to his native Armagh the previous week. "We will bring another Meath selector on board, but as of yet that person is unidentified," McEnaney told the Meath Chronicle last Tuesday, 24 hours before Geraghty's nomination to fill the vacancy was sanctioned by the county executive. Tom Keague, who was brought on board as a selector after Liam Harnan and Barry Callaghan resigned, was ratified as assistant-manager. Letters from Harnan and Callaghan were read out at the meeting. Some delegates suggested, unsuccessfully, on Monday night that the matter should be referred back to the clubs for discussion and placed on the agenda for the next Co Committee meeting. Gerry Fitzpatrick (Simonstown Gaels) proposed that as this was effectively a new management team for Meath football, that it should be put to the clubs for ratification. Central Council delegate Brendan Cummins supported the Simonstown proposal and a number of other delegates were also in favour, but Co Committee chairman Barney Allen indicated that such a move would be out of order, under the current bye laws. The chairman informed delegates that clubs had been notified about the matter on Thursday of last week. However, this was refuted by delegates who maintained that they had not received any notification. "I gave an instruction to circulate the information to clubs," stated the Co Committee chairman. "This is the third time in four months that important information was not sent out to clubs, what is going on, can you find out what is happening," asked management committee member Eamonn Barry of the chairman. "It was the same a few weeks ago over the Curraha exemptions, that notice was not sent out either," stated Duleek/Bellewstown delegate Paddy Watters. "We should show respect and honour our commitment to Seamus McEnaney for a two-year period with a review at the end of next year's championship," commented treasurer Pat Clerkin. Navan O'Mahonys delegate Martin Moffett called on the meeting to show some respect for the members of the management committee and the work they are doing on behalf of the clubs. "The only issue we have to decide is whether to ratify Tom Keague and Graham Geraghty as assistant-manager and selector," stated Allen. Cummins opposed the ratification, but then withdrew his amendment and a vote was not required. Hurling Promotion and Development Committee chairman Francis Lynch confirmed that Cillian Farrell would continue as Meath senior hurling manager for 2012 with the same selectors, Martin Curran and Dave Gaughan. "We didn't have any problems in making the appointment," Lynch told the Co Committee chairman.