Naughton set to take charge

Dublin under-21 manager Tommy Naughton is set to take charge of the county's senior hurlers on an interim basis until the Dublin County management committee select a long-term replacement for Humphrey Kelleher.

A member of Scoil Uí Chonaill club in Clontarf, Naughton will be familiar to most of the current panel, having trained many of the players at underage level.

County chairman John Bailey said a successor had yet to be lined up for Kelleher - who was sacked last week after two unsuccessful seasons in charge - although the management committee met late last night and hope to announce a permanent manager this week.

"We only started looking for a replacement on Friday," said Bailey, "so we have not made much headway yet. We hope to have a long-term replacement in place over the coming days."

Naughton was an obvious candidate for the job on a short-term basis, but former Dublin manager Michael O'Grady and Pad Joe Whelahan of Offaly have both been linked with the position on a more permanent basis. Bailey ruled out Kelleher's predecessor Marty Morris and also denied any contact had been made with Whelahan. Morris had a acrimonious departure after just one, albeit Walsh Cup-winning, year in the job.

Whelahan is the most highprofile manager mentioned, but after recently parting company with Limerick due to internal difficulties - including the dual player problem - he may not be overly enamoured by the current plight of hurling in the capital.

"We intend to get the best person for the job wherever he may be from," Bailey continued. "We are talking to people at the moment and hope to move things forward as rapidly as possible."

Dublin hope to end a 12-game losing streak when they play in round one of the qualifying section on June 18th. Incidentally, the draw for both hurling and football qualifiers takes place on the Sunday Game on June 12th.

Meanwhile, Stephen Perkins may be the next Dublin hurler to be lost for the championship as he is due before the Central Disciplinary Committee (CDC) either tomorrow or Thursday.

Perkins was shown a straight red card by referee Tommy McIntyre after coming on as a replacement in the 12-point defeat to Laois on May 22nd in Nowlan Park, which also ultimately proved the final straw for Kelleher.

Perkins was not selected by his club Ballyboden St Enda's for last Friday's county championship draw with Kilmacud Crokes as a suspension could be back dated to the last game he plays. He could face a 12-week ban if found guilty of striking with the hurl.

Perkins and a couple of other cases will be the first heard by the new disciplinary arm of the GAA.

The CDC chairman is Con Hogan from Tipperary and the committee intends to convene on a regular basis or "whenever it is required" throughout the championship.