Monaghan aiming for success

Eamonn O'Brien has joined the Monaghan management football team as an advisor under coach Eamonn McEaneney. O'Brien, who was manager of Meath from 2008 to 2010, had been out of football for a while but towards the end of last year he accepted an invitation to coach the Syddan intermediate football team. Now he has been asked to utilise his experience as an inter-county manager and help Monaghan as they seek to re-assert themselves in Ulster football. O'Brien was on the sideline at Clones on Sunday as Monaghan defeated St Mary's, Belfast by 0-14 to 0-6 in the opening round of the Dr McKenna Cup. The arrangement with Monaghan is a temporary affair and O'Brien, who is a friend of McEaneney's, may only be involved on a week-to-week basis. "Eamonn is a good friend of mine and he's helping me out in certain areas. Without being specific I feel there are certain areas we need assistance in, but he's not a selector. Eamonn will be helping us out from time to time," said McEneaney. Monaghan will take on Meath in the NFL Div 2 on Saturday 4th February. On the club scene, O'Brien faces a considerable challenge to help Syddan reach the summit of the intermediate grade. They were relegation candidates in 2010 but they showed a considerable improvement in form during 2011 when they came very close to reaching the last eight of the IFC. O'Brien's selectors at Syddan will be Patrick Dillon, Jack Carry and Harry Carolan. Few know better than O'Brien what is required to win the Mattie McDonnell Cup as he guided Rathkenny to the title in 2008. It was a triumph that convinced some he was the man to take over as Meath manager following Colm Coyle's spell in charge. There are many in the world of Gaelic football who feel O'Brien was very harshly treated when he was removed as Meath manager in 2010. The same year the former Walterstown and Meath player had led his county to a Leinster title with a win over Louth in one of the most controversal provincial finals of all time when Joe Sheridan's last-gasp goal was allowed to stand. John Brady, Con O'Neill and Barry Sheridan will make up a new management team at Dunderry and they take over from Barry Callaghan.