Football

Corrigan favourite to replace McGrath in Fermanagh hot-seat

Dominic Corrigan has emerged as a front runner to replace Pete McGrath as manager of the Fermanagh senior footballers. pic seamus loughran.
Dominic Corrigan has emerged as a front runner to replace Pete McGrath as manager of the Fermanagh senior footballers. pic seamus loughran. Dominic Corrigan has emerged as a front runner to replace Pete McGrath as manager of the Fermanagh senior footballers. pic seamus loughran.

DOMINIC Corrigan has emerged as the favourite to take over the Fermanagh reins from Pete McGrath, as the county board begins the process to pick the Down man’s successor.

He has been mentioned along with successful Derrygonnelly Harps boss Martin Greene, Kieran Donnelly, Nigel Seaney, Rory Gallagher and Oisin McConville.

Clubs have been given until August 21 to submit names to the county executive who are setting up a manager appointment committee.

This committee will be in place by next Monday.

Corrigan (left), father of senior players Tomás and Ruairí, was previously at the helm between 2001 and 2003 when the county’s best ever side regularly defeated Donegal and once boasted a forward line of Tom Brewster, Paul Greene, Raymond Gallagher, Rory Gallagher, Shane King/Colm Bradley.

He took the Erne county to a NFL quarter-final and an All-Ireland quarter-final in 2003 without Rory Gallagher.

The recently departed Donegal manager has been mentioned as a potential successor, and would have some backers in the county, but he will probably be glad of a break after seven hectic years at the coalface of Donegal GAA.

More crucially for Corrigan, who has not commented on the matter yet, is that he has already mentored quite a number of the current Fermanagh squad including influential figures like Eoin Donnelly, Ryan Jones and Ryan McCluskey.

Corrigan has a successful track record at club level too, winning three Monaghan titles on-the-trot with

Castleblayney, another title with Clontibret, and a Tyrone title with Killyclogher last year.

He has also won three MacRory Cup titles outright with St Michael’s, Enniskillen while a fourth was shared with Omagh CBS in 2001.

Another name mentioned is Martin Greene who is a former protégé of Corrigan’s. Greene has impressed many with his raw passion and tactical nous after guiding Derrygonnelly Harps to two Fermanagh club doubles in the past two years.

He is now on course for a third, so the vacancy may have come a bit early for the Derrygonnelly man.

Former Errigal Ciaran coach Kieran Donnelly has also been linked with the post and has enjoyed college’s

success with Omagh CBS. He has not committed either way.

One man who has definitely ruled himself out is Irvinestown’s Nigel Seaney who took Trillick to a first county title in almost 30 years in 2015.It is believed that Seaney’s sole focus is on guiding the continuing fortunes of his neighbouring Tyrone club.

Whoever takes the job will have the unenviable task of taking Fermanagh back up to Division Two in a Division that also contains Derry and Armagh.