Hunt the first managerial casualty

GAELIC GAMES / News round-up: One week into the Allianz National Hurling League it's not just the experimental rules that are causing disturbances. Meath have become the first county to lose a manager as John Hunt has resigned in the wake of two alarming defeats in a row, and Limerick manager Pad Joe Whelahan has been defending his decision to drop defender TJ Ryan for Sunday's game against Tipperary.

The problem in Meath is a lot more serious. Last Sunday they lost the opening league match to London, the one team they were expected to beat during their Division Two B campaign. That followed a similarly embarrassing defeat to the students of DIT in the Kehoe Cup. As a result Hunt felt his position was no longer tenable.

The team will thus travel to Sunday's game against Wicklow without a manager. Hurling chairman TJ Reilly and secretary Enda Smith will front an interim management team, but it could take several weeks before any replacement is finalised.

Hunt held the position for just over a year, succeeding former Offaly player Michael Duignan. The Clare native helped build some optimism when he brought former Offaly and Limerick manager Eamonn Cregan on board, but in the meantime several of Meath's more experienced hurlers dropped off the panel.

"This is a great pity," said Meath press officer Brendan Cummins. "Especially to be losing someone like Eamonn Cregan as well, because a whole new management team will now have to be put in place. But I suppose it wasn't a great surprise because it does follow two very bad results, and the fact that some of the county's better players weren't making themselves available."

Hunt's resignation marks another low point, not just for Meath hurling, but for the so-called weaker hurling counties. Meath had been making a concerted effort to improve the county's hurling fortunes and the 2002 championship wins over Carlow and Laois appeared to suggest progress.

In Limerick, there was widespread surprise yesterday when the team to play Tipperary at the Gaelic Grounds didn't list Ryan even among the substitutes - and that created the inevitable rumour of a fallout with manager Whelahan.

It emerged, however, that Ryan had agreed to go on a four-week training regime to get him closer to his optimum level of fitness. Last year's captain wasn't the only Limerick player struggling during last Sunday's 13-point defeat to Cork, but the player denied there was any problem with the management.

County board chairman Denis Holmes also confirmed that Ryan was merely on a short-term leave of absence: "The management clearly felt that TJ Ryan needed some extra training if he was to play the part that so many people expect him to play for Limerick in the coming weeks and months."

Ryan will work closely with team trainer Dave Mahedy and should return for the latter stages of Limerick's league campaign. Since making his debut in 1994 he has been a prominent member of the team in several different positions, and while he started at centre back on Sunday, he ended up in his more familiar berth at full back.

Whelahan has made several other changes for the crunch game against Tipperary. Mark Foley comes back into the left half back position, Michael Clifford takes over from the injured Peter Lawlor, and Ollie Moran moves to centre back.

Paul O'Grady comes into midfield, while James O'Brien will start at full forward in an effort to improve the paltry scoring return on Sunday when Mark Keane was the only forward to score from play.

There have been several late changes to Sunday's league schedule: The Kilkenny-Galway clash at Nowlan Park will now start at 2.0, while Derry-Roscommon moves to Banagher, Kerry-Sligo to Kilmoyley, and the Louth-Fermanagh game to Lordship.

Ken McGrath's broken collarbone, among other injuries, has forced Waterford manager Justin McCarthy into a reshuffle ahead of Sunday's match against Laois. Declan Prendergast comes in at centre back, while Brian Wall and Eoin Murphy are named as the wing backs. Tony Browne and Paul Flynn are out after going off injured against Cork but Flynn is among the substitutes.

Laois make two changes with Jack Rowney and Martin Rooney coming into the forwards.

Dublin manager Humphrey Kelleher makes four changes for tomorrow's visit of Clare. Tim Sweeney and Risteard Brennan form a new midfield partnership, David Curtin returns at right half forward following his leg injury, and Keith Elliott starts at centre forward as Stuart Mullen and Tomás McGrane drop to the bench.

Dual player Stephen Lucey has returned to training with the Limerick footballers, but is unlikely to be ready for action for at least a month. Football board chairman Owen Hayes said the player was doing light training only. "It is good to have such such an experienced player as Stephen back. As things stand, we have earmarked a return to action in the championship".

Lucey had an operation for a shoulder injury late last year.

Meanwhile, Westmeath manager Tom Ryan has taken on an extra role, as coach to senior hurling team Wolfe Tones of Shannon.

LIMERICK (SH v Tipperary): J Cahill; D Reale, B Geary, M Cahill; M Clifford, O Moran, M Foley; D O'Grady, P O'Grady; D Ryan, P Cahill, N Moran; A O'Shaughnessy, J O'Brien, M Keane.

WATERFORD (SH v Laois): C Hennessy; T Feeney, F Hartley, J Murray; B Wall, D Prendergast, E Murphy; B Phelan, M Walsh; E Kelly, D Shanahan, D Bennett; J Mullane, S Prendergast, J Kennedy.

DUBLIN (SH v Clare): G Maguire; G O'Meara, T Russell, S O'Shea; C Meehan, R Fallon, M Carton; T Sweeney, R Brennan; D Curtin, K Elliott, E Moran; E Carroll, S Hiney, J Kingston.

LAOIS (SH v Waterford): P Mullaney; B Campion, P Cuddy, L Traynor; J Fitzpatrick, S Dwyer, M McEvoy; D Doyle, J Walsh; C Coonan, J Rowney, M Rooney; D Culleton, R Jones, P Russell.

KERRY (SH v Sligo): T Flynn; M Cronin, A Healy, J Griffin; B Flaherty, A Keane, C Harris; M Conway, E Sheehy; I McCarthy, S Brick, E Tuohy; P Randles, B D'Arcy, J Egan.