Naughton to run rule over all available Dublin players

GAELIC GAMES: Interim Dublin hurling manager Tommy Naughton has said every player either on or currently off the senior panel will get the chance to represent the county in the upcoming All-Ireland qualifier series. Ian O'Riordan reports.

Naughton was ratified as the temporary successor to Humphrey Kelleher at Wednesday night's meeting of the county committee, thus bringing to an end the managerial crisis that earlier this week threatened Dublin's participation in the qualifiers.

Naughton also confirmed his selection team of Tommy Ryan and Andy Cunningham had come on board for the remainder of the season. Their first training session with the players will take place in Parnell Park this evening, where Naughton will start drawing up a panel of players ahead of the first round of qualifiers on Saturday week.

"I'm certainly planning to select from everyone that is available to play for Dublin," said Naughton. "And I hope to give everyone a chance, and that will probably include bringing in some new players."

Naughton turned down the position last week because of restrictions on the players he could pick. At the centre of this issue was former captain Kevin Flynn, who left for America just days before last summer's qualifier against Kilkenny.

Other disaffected players on the fringes of a return include Liam and Kevin Ryan, Philly Brennan, Keith Wilson and Tomás McGrane.

Wednesday's meeting decided that in future, players selected for the county panel must sign an undertaking to be available for the county's championship and qualifier commitments, but Naughton doesn't believe that would prove a stumbling block.

"I wasn't there myself at the meeting, he said, "but to be honest, I'd hope the players would give the full commitment anyway, because it's only an interim period we're there for.

"We'll be getting together in Parnell Park (this evening), and we've no major plan in place right now beyond that. We'll meet with the present panel first, and at least get a training session in with them. We'll meet again on Saturday evening with some new additions. After that we'll just have to see how it goes. Time will tell how quickly we can get it together for the qualifiers."

A member of the Scoil Uí Chonaill club in Clontarf, Naughton was a Dublin senior selector under manager Michael O'Grady, and then spent three seasons as the county under-21 manager, where he twice took the team to the Leinster final - dramatically losing the 2002 final after a late Wexford goal.

Wednesday's meeting also had county chief executive John Costello outline in detail events surrounding Dublin hurling in recent years, during which it emerged that the county had in fact spent more money on preparing the senior hurlers than the senior footballers.

The GAA, meanwhile, have confirmed a number of stipulations surrounding Sunday's draw for the All-Ireland qualifier series. Should Laois lose to Wexford on Sunday, they will be kept apart from Dublin as the sides have already met in the Leinster championship.

Dublin, Laois and Antrim would also be entitled to two home games out of three in their respective groups and to facilitate this, all three teams cannot be in the same group. All three Munster and all three Leinster teams will not be in the same group as each other (i.e. one of Waterford, Clare and Limerick will be in a different group to the other two and likewise for the Leinster counties).

Sunday evening will also see the draw for the first round of the football qualifiers, and the GAA have also confirmed the stipulations surrounding that draw. Games between teams which have already met in the championship will not be permitted (ie Louth could not meet Offaly or Armagh face Fermanagh - were Armagh to be beaten tomorrow by Donegal).

Counties in the draw designated for home status are Sligo, Wicklow, Carlow, Louth, Longford, Waterford, Tipperary, Antrim and Monaghan.

Otherwise, the first-named team drawn in each case will have home venue except in the case where an undesignated county is drawn against a designated county, in which case the designated county will have the right to home venue.