McGee appointed to chair Football Review panel

EUGENE McGEE, the All-Ireland winning manager and GAA columnist, has been appointed chair of the new Football Review Committee. His new role was announced at Saturday’s Central Council meeting in Croke Park as new president Liam O’Neill unveiled his committees for the next three years.

McGee managed the Offaly team that denied Kerry the five-in-a-row in 1982. He managed Cavan for a spell later that decade and Ireland in the 1987 and 1990 international rules series.

He was a member of the Football Development Committee whose influential report, while rejected by annual congress in 2000, paved the way for the introduction of the qualifier series format in the 2001 senior intercounty football championship. Other members of the committee will be appointed in due course.

Of the other committees, most interest will focus on the disciplinary bodies, which have seen the relevant chairs shuffled around.

Simon Moroney, the former Munster secretary who chaired the last Central Appeals Committee, is now in charge of the Central Competitions Control Committee.

His predecessor, Tyrone’s Séamus Woods, will chair the new Central Referees Appointments Committee.

A newcomer to the area is former Cavan and UCD player Garrett O’Reilly, who will chair the Central Hearings Committee. He replaces Liam Keane, who moves to take charge of the CAC.

Two well-known recently retired referees have been appointed to committees. Monaghan’s Pat McEnaney chairs the National Referees Committee, and Wexford’s Dickie Murphy has been appointed to the same committee and will sit on the referees’ appointments body.

The National Games Development Committee will be chaired by Wexford’s Michael Martin, formerly of Cumann na mBunscoil.

The two special appointments to the GAA’s Management Committee by the president and director general are former secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs Dermot Gallagher, and David Mackey, a former chair of the Croke Park Stadium Committee.

The Central Council meeting also approved the introduction of the new playing rules accepted by this month’s congress for the upcoming New York-Sligo Connacht championship opener, although such changes usually only take effect four weeks after congress. The match in question will take place within three weeks.