East aim to move forward with Sheehan
Wednesday March 10 2010
THE question as to whether or not East Kerry would be entering a team in this year's County Championship has been emphatically answered with news this week that the East Kerry Board have appointed former Mid Kerry trainer James Sheehan as the new manager of the district team.
Sheehan's appointment comes following a much publicised fallout from the district's humiliating 5-21 to 0-8 exit in the competition against St Kierans last year with the East Kerry Board asking the clubs involved in the team was it worth entering the County Championship anymore after such a debacle which saw only 18 players tog out for East Kerry that day.
The Board's chairman Dermot Griffin hailed Sheehan's appointment as a fresh start for all in the district.
" We're really excited about James coming on board, especially after his success with Mid Kerry.
"He will bring a fresh approach to the set up and we believe it will be to everyone's benefit," Griffin told The Kerryman.
Sheehan himself admitted that it was a tough decision to leave Mid Kerry and take on a new challenge. "I had four terrific years there and I did not take the decision to leave lightly, but in truth it's probably better for Mid Kerry that they get a new face.
"East Kerry is a big challenge for me, I don't know the players there as well as I did in Mid Kerry, but I intend to give it 100% and I just hope the players will respond to that. What happened last year has nothing to do with me and I hope I can create a good sense of harmony within the camp," he said.
Both Griffin and Sheehan were unable to confirm or deny if either Seamus Moynihan or Donal Daly will have any involvement in East Kerry this year either as players or potentially as selectors, but Sheehan said his primary interest in both was on the playing side.
"I've spoken to both of them and they both have a lot of other commitments and are not getting any younger, but it would be great if we could get them both involved in some playing capacity."
- Jason O'Connor
