Murray in the running for RTE Manager of the Year

Eamonn Murray brings Meath's representation at next Saturday night's RTE Sportsperson of the Year awards to four after he was nominated in the Manager of the Year category.

Murray joins Vikki Wall, who has been listed as a nominee for the overall Sportsperson of the Year, Emma Duggan, who is in the running for Young Sportsperson of the Year, and the Meath Ladies All-Ireland champions, who are among the candidates for Team of the Year.

Murray guided the Meath ladies footballers to one of the biggest shocks of the season, with his team toppling Dublin in the All-Ireland final to win their first ever senior All-Ireland title. Earlier in the season, Meath were also crowned champions of Division 2 in the National League.

The other nominees include managers across camogie, Gaelic football, hurling, horse racing, paracyling, rowing and rugby.

Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan are nominated having made history by becoming the first joint managers to lead a team to an All-Ireland senior football title.

In their first season in charge of the Tyrone footballers, Dooher and Logan helped steer the Red Hand past Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-finals before a commanding display against Mayo in the final.

Galway camogie manager Cathal Murray is also included on the shortlist after helping Galway to a second O’Duffy Cup victory in three seasons.

Ireland lightweight rowing coach Dominic Casey is nominated following a brilliant year on the water for Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy, which included Ireland’s first ever Olympic gold medal in rowing.

It was also a superb year for Waterford trainer Henry de Bromhead, who celebrated success in the Champion Hurdle, the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham festival, as well as saddling the first and second horses home in the Aintree Grand National, with Minella Times taking the victory.

Limerick hurling manager John Kiely saw the Treaty win back-to-back All-Irelands for the first time, producing a dominant performance against Cork in the final to add to a third consecutive Munster title.

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen is included after the province beat Munster in the Pro14 final to win a fourth consecutive title.

Paracycling coach Neill Delahaye makes the cut after Team Ireland delivered four medals at Tokyo 2020, Gary O’Reilly taking bronze in the H5 time trial while duo Katie-George Dunlevy and Eve McCrystal won two golds and a silver at the games.

Stephen Bradley is nominated after Shamrock Rovers powered to back-to-back titles in the Airtricity League Premier Division.

Finally, Ireland’s boxing head coach Zaur Antia is also nominated after delivering two more Olympic medals in Tokyo, with Aidan Walsh winning bronze and Kellie Harrington taking gold.

The RTE Sportsperson of the Year awards will be shown on RTE One on Saturday night.