Two management teams have been nominated for the vacant position of Clare Senior Hurling manager.
Three-in-a-row All-Ireland winning U21 Joint Managers Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor are in the running against two time All-Ireland winning captain Anthony Daly to succeed Davy Fitzgerald.
Daly previously managed the Clare Senior Hurlers from 2004-2006 reaching two All-Ireland semi-finals, an All-Ireland quarter-final. During this stint the Banner County failed to win a Munster Championship game. Since then the Clarecastle man went on to manage the Dublin Senior Hurlers and during a six year period he guided them to their first provincial and national successes in over fifty years.
Four time All-Star Brian Lohan is tipped to be part of Daly’s proposed management team along with 2001 All-Ireland winning captain Tommy Dunne of Tipperary.
Moloney and O’Conner oversaw Clare’s most successful period in the U21 grade as the County scooped a total of six titles from 2012-2014. Clare went unbeaten under their joint stewardship.
In the intervening two years the duo have worked by themselves with no silverware won by either. Moloney took sole control of the County’s U21 and Intermediate hurlers with defeats suffered at provincial and national finals. Gerry was manager of the Éire Óg Senior Hurlers that bowed out at the quarter-final stage in this year’s club championship.
No names have yet been mentioned as to who will join their proposed setup. Paul Kinnerk was coach to the historic U21 side but he has since joined John Kiely’s management with the Limerick Senior Hurlers.
Interviews are expected to take place with the candidates in the coming days. Clubs such as Clarecastle, Sixmilebridge, Inagh/Kilnamona and Kilmaley proposed Anthony Daly for the position while a host of East Clare clubs and Éire Óg put forward the combination of Donal and Gerry.