LAOIS HAVE TARGETED Teddy McCarthy to replace Brendan Fennelly as the county’s senior hurling manager, it emerged last night.
McCarthy’s name will go before a full meeting of the Laois county executive later this week after he topped the shortlist of candidates drawn up by a select panel of county officials.
A county spokesperson told TheScore.ie this morning that any opposition to the Cork dual star was highly unlikely and that McCarthy should be officially unveiled following a meeting of the county board in late October.
Although he served as part of Ger Fitzgerald’s backroom staff with the Cork U21 hurlers, the Glanmire man has never managed at senior inter-county level and is likely to be seen as a left-field choice by some.
His main task will be to oversee the rebuilding of a disillusioned senior hurling panel left reeling by a disappointing league and disastrous Championship campaign under Fennelly.
The O’Moores had to settle for third place behind Limerick and Clare in Division 2 before a shock defeat against Antrim sent them crashing out of the Leinster Championship at the first hurdle.
A 34-point drubbing against Cork in the preliminary round of the qualifiers followed, prompting Fennelly to walk before he was pushed after less than a year in the job.
