Greville rules himself out of Westmeath job

As the search gets underway for a new Westmeath hurling manager, there has been an early setback in the process with leading contender Johnny Greville ruling himself out of the race.

Greville is one of the top hurling coaches on the circuit, but has incredibly been overlooked for the Westmeath senior job on three occasions.

The current Raharney manager is interested in getting involved in hurling development in Westmeath and working with talented players who are coming through.

“I have not been contacted regarding the vacancy, that’s the first thing. But I am not interested in the position as I’m committed to Raharney for the next two or three years,” he told the Westmeath Examiner.

The former Meath senior hurling boss was viewed by many observers as someone with the credentials to take the reins at this juncture. An accomplished and experienced hurling coach, Greville has previously managed Westmeath minors and served on senior management, but has never held the top job.

At this stage, former Westmeath senior hurling boss, Joe Fortune, is understood to be a target, while former Westmeath U20 hurling manager, Andrew Dermody is also in the running.

Ringtown’s Adrian Moran, who managed Longford and led Westmeath U21s to a famous win over Kilkenny 10 years ago, is another homegrown coach who has not got the local stamp of approval. Moran is also ruling himself out of the race, but like Greville is keen on building for the future of hurling in Westmeath.

He is currently coaching the Coláiste Mhuire senior hurling side, who produced a superb performance against Coláiste Eoin on Tuesday, where they recorded an emphatic 5-33 to 0-5 victory. The former Longford senior hurling manager has been coaching at the Mullingar school for the past few years and they have been making a clear impact at Senior 'A' level.

Westmeath hurling clubs gathered for a meeting on Monday evening where a frank and honest conversation ensued regarding the current crisis. There was strong engagement from all hurling clubs, which is viewed as very positive, but they were unhappy with what they considered a lack of communication.

A County Committee meeting was held remotely on Wednesday evening and the following committee, charged with finding a new senior hurling manager, was ratified: Chairman, Paddy Wallace; Secretary, Keith Quinn; hurling club representatives, Brendan Shaw (Raharney) and Martin Williams (Lough Lene Gaels). A former Westmeath senior hurler is to be added to the committee.

Kevin O’Brien’s abrupt departure a week ago, and the circumstances around it, have left Westmeath GAA dealing with a serious issue at a difficult time of the year. The committee in charge of finding a new senior hurling manager are facing a key decision.

The search is also on for a Westmeath minor hurling management team for next year.