OFFALY LEGEND BRIAN Whelahan has been appointed as the new senior hurling team manager of Tipperary club side Nenagh Éire Óg.
Nenagh have moved to secure the services of Whelahan, who managed his native county for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
The Birr man takes over on a more permanent basis from former Tipperary star Michael Cleary, who had been guiding the team’s fortunes in an interim capacity.
Nenagh officials opted for change earlier this month following a 0-15 to 3-17 loss to Kilruane MacDonaghs in the county senior hurling championship.
Former Limerick coach Donach O’Donnell was sacked as team manager and replaced by Cleary, who steered the team to victory over Ballina in the north championship last Sunday week.
Meanwhile, ex-Tipperary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins believes that Kieran Bergin will bring an ‘X-factor’ to the county’s senior football camp.
Bergin linked up with the footballers last week, just 16 days after quitting the senior hurling set-up.
Bergin, 31, is in line for a senior football championship debut against Cork or Waterford on June 10, and Cummins is fully behind the move.
Cummins, a former dual player with Tipp, said: “I was first of all surprised when Kieran left the hurling panel but he’s an ambitious young man.
“Once he’d left, I was surprised to hear he’d gone to the footballers but also delighted.
“I’d have to applaud him because a lot of times in sport, if it doesn’t work out for you, guys can be seen to sulk but that’s not in his mindset and it’s a huge, huge boost for Liam Kearns and the football panel.”
Cummins, speaking to Tipp FM’s Straight Talk programme, recalled: “When he came into our panel, it was my last year in 2013.
“His very first game was against Kilkenny in a National league final at Nowlan Park and he was one of the best players we had on the pitch.
“It isn’t as if he’s coming in as a complete novice but a guy like him with an ambition to win can only help Tipperary football. I’m delighted to see him throw his lot in with the footballers.”
Cummins added: “He brings a touch of an X-factor. It’s very hard for Liam Kearns and his backroom team to get a player in with experience at this time of the year.
“You’d sometimes wonder is it going to be of real benefit to your panel but knowing the kind of character that Kieran is, he’ll be a huge asset and as a team player, he’ll blend in quickly and cause more competition for places.
“At this time of the year, that’s all you want. That cultivates a togetherness within the panel and Kieran is going to add that to the Tipperary footballers.”
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