Published: Wednesday, 18th November, 2009 5:00pm

O'Mahonys need a new manager

by Fergal Lynch

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Kelly joins Meath team

Meath manager Eamonn O'Brien was rocked by the news that Colm Brady is to step down as trainer to the senior football team, but the manager acted swiftly and received the perfect boost when it was confirmed that Navan O'Mahonys boss Sean Kelly will step into the role for 2010.

Kelly's appointment as Meath trainer will mean that he will be stepping down as Navan O'Mahonys manager for 2010 and that will come as a massive blow to the Brews Hill club.

Brady, who owns the Pestle and Mortar shops in Johnstown (Navan) and Mullingar, has cited work commitments for the reason behind his decision to step down. On several occasions during the year the popular Simonstown man and former All-Ireland winner had to miss games with Meath because of work commitments and he obviously felt he would be unable to give the time required to do the job properly in 2010.

Brady is replaced by another former Meath player in Kelly and the Dunderry man has enjoyed considerable success as a manager and a coach with the most notable highlight being the 2008 SFC victory with Navan O'Mahonys.

Kelly also has inter-county experience having been part of the backroom team with Dudley Farrell and Sean Barry that led Meath to Leinster MFC success in 2006 and he was also strongly linked with the Louth senior football manager's position, but he removed his name from that race after O'Mahonys were beaten by Wolfe Tones in the SFC semi-final last month.

"Unfortunately Colm Brady has decided to step down as trainer because of work commitments, but I'm delighted to say that Sean Kelly will be taking over the role and we are very much looking forward to the year ahead," O'Brien told the Meath Chronicle on Monday evening.

"Colm will be a huge loss to us because he brought great professionalism to the whole set up and I want to thank him sincerely for all his efforts with the team in 2009. The team's fitness levels were one of the reasons we reached the All-Ireland semi-finals."

Kelly's appointment is sure to be a boost for Meath football and while Brady's departure is a loss, the new man will bring fresh ideas and a different approach that has proved to be very successful in his previous stints at management.

"I was asked if I was interested in the position and I thought long and hard about it and I said I was, that was basically it," Kelly told the Meath Chronicle on Tuesday.

" I'm looking forward to it and I'm sure it will be a great challenge for me and you have to be ready to take on a challenge.

"I have a passion about how football should be played. I know Meath play a certain type of football and I certainly feel that we can achieve something that is tangible.

"At the end of the day we have to win something, that is the tangibility of it. Whether it is the NFL Div 2, the Leinster SFC or the All-Ireland, the aim must be to win something. Performances are performances, but we need to win something.

"I won't be staying on with O'Mahonys for next year. I'm not sure what Sean Barry will be doing with the club, but he won't be involved with the Meath set-up," concluded Kelly.

As well as Navan O'Mahonys having to being their search for a new manager, Dunshaughlin will also start their quest for a new coach following Gordon Ward's appointment as St Michael's manager for 2010.

It was rumoured that former Wolfe Tones manager Tony Kearney was in line to take over the Carlanstown outfit.

"It is not true that I will be the new St Michael's coach. I will be involved with St Fechin's in Louth again next year and I will give the new manager at St Michael's a hand every now and then, but I won't be the manager," confirmed Kearney.