AWARE OF TEST SPLIT-SEASON FORMAT PRESENTS
are finalised — is the new round-robin Championship.
This guarantees every county at least three Championship games in either the Tailteann Cup or All-Ireland series.
And with the current format — highly dubious in the eyes of many — allowing three teams out of four to qualify for the next round, that gives most counties an additional game.
Kearns and Offaly, if they were to make a Division 3 League final, and go to a Tailteann Cup decider could play up to 15 matches. The minimum number of games they are guaranteed is 10.
Kearns is one of at least 10 new inter-county senior football managers who will experience the difficulties and advantages of the 2023 season.
It was even trickier in the Covid years (2020-2021) when training time was limited and the season shortened.
Unlike professional sports, inter-county sides do not have access to their players outside the December to July period. (below)
Or, at least according to the GAA rulebook on collective inter-county training, which was widely flouted in the past, they don’t.
First-year bosses are up against it in many regards.
The turnover of managers in Ulster is particularly high this year at four out of nine, just under 50 per cent.
Andy McEntee (Antrim) and Conor Laverty (Down) are confirmed as new managers in Ulster, with vacancies currently existing in Donegal and Monaghan.
Turnover
There will be four new managers in Leinster.
Colm O’Rourke (Meath) and Kearns will be joined by fresh faces in Longford and Wexford after Andy McEntee, John Maughan, Billy O’Loughlin and Shane Roche all left their posts.
To date there is no word of any turnover in Munster, while in Connacht there are two big jobs up for grabs — Mayo and Roscommon, with James Horan and Anthony Cunningham ending four-year spells.
One manager who, if he stays on, won’t experience the difficulties Kearns and co will have in putting their stamp on a squad, is Clare’s Colm Collins.
The longest serving current inter-county manager of a single side has just completed nine years in charge of his native county, with Kieran McGeeney finishing out his eighth year with Armagh.
Collins’ first year with Clare was 2014.
McGeeney was alongside Paul Grimley in Armagh in 2014 before taking sole change the following season.
Limerick’s
John Lee is the 4 YEARS:
Jack Cooney (Westmeath) Mickey Graham (Cavan) 3 YEARS: Dessie Farrell (Dublin) Rory Gallagher (Derry) Padraic Joyce (Galway) David Power (Tipperary) Niall Carew (Carlow) Michael Maher (London)
2 YEARS
Feargal Logan/Brian Dooher (Tyrone) Tony McEntee (Sligo)
Mickey Harte (Louth)
1 YEAR:
Jack O’Connor (Kerry)
John Cleary (Cork)
Ephie Fitzgerald (Waterford) Kieran Donnelly (Fermanagh) Alan Costello/Gary Duffy (Wicklow) Glenn Ryan (Kildare)
Billy Sheehan (Laois)
Andy Moran (Leitrim) TOTAL: 8 Managers
0 YEARS
Colm O’Rourke (Meath) Liam Kearns (Offaly) Conor Laverty (Down) Andy McEntee (Antrim) Donegal, Monaghan, Longford,
Mayo, Roscommon Wexford, TOTAL: 10 Managers next longest-serving manager, having completed six years in charge of the Treaty men. He can look forward to Division 2 football next year.
Then there is a drop to Jack Cooney and Mickey Graham, who have both finished out a fourth season with their native counties. Mickey Harte has just completed 20 consecutive years at senior inter county level — 18 with Tyrone and two with Louth — and will go into a 21st season with the
Wee County. Andy McEntee had served six years 9 YEARS: 8 YEARS: 6 YEARS: with Meath and will go into a seventh-consecutive season at inter county level with Antrim, after replacing Tyrone All-Ireland winner Enda McGinley.
Declan Bonner had completed five years with Donegal before walking away at the end of this campaign.
Outside
Intriguingly, the five longest serving inter-county football managers are all in charge of their own counties.
Rory Gallagher (Derry) and Niall Carew (Carlow) top the table for outside managers, with three years completed.
Currently there are eight outside managers: Gallagher, Carew, Harte, Kearns, Andy McEntee, Tony McEntee (Sligo), Ephie Fitzgerald (Waterford) and Andy Moran (Leitrim).
Laois manager Billy Sheehan played for the O’Moore county but hails from Kerry, while Alan Costello, one half of the Wicklow management team, is a Mayo native.