Has Rory Kavanagh withdrawn from Donegal manager’s race?

Donegal are understood to be close to appointing a new senior team manager - although there is speculation that Rory Kavanagh has withdrawn from the race.

St Eunan’s manager Kavanagh was believed to be the frontrunner for the position vacated by Declan Bonner in July in the wake of Donegal’s 3-17 to 0-16 first round qualifier defeat by Armagh on June 12.
St Eunan’s lost 1-9 to 2-5 in Saturday’s SFC final against Naomh Conaill and afterwards Kavanagh was asked about the Donegal role.

“My focus was with St Eunan's and to be honest it is not the appropriate time to be talking about anything else apart from the game today,”  he said. “The lads put a lot in, and it did not go for them today and that is the disappointing part."

Brian McEniff, Donegal’s 1992 All-Ireland winning manager, believes that Kavanagh has withdrawn following the online reaction to St Eunan’s defeat on Saturday, while St Eunan’s GAA club chairman John Haran says he is more than hopeful the 2012 All-Ireland winner will continue his managerial tenure at his local club.

“Time is moving on,” McEniff wrote in his weekly Donegal Democrat column Mac’s View. “In 10 days’ time we will be into November and we will never find it until the new season is upon us.

“The latest I’m hearing is that Rory Kavanagh, who was interested, has pulled out. Seemingly he has received a lot of abuse since last weekend on social media.”

Haran gave his complete backing to Kavanagh, who in his first year as manager last year took the Letterkenny club to their first Donegal SFC crown since 2014.

“We would be more than keen to have Rory as manager here,” Haran said. “He is doing great work and we would love him to stay. We are confident he will. Of course we’re all disappointed at the defeat to Naomh Conaill on Saturday and it’s a first final loss for a lot of that young panel. But the thing is they will learn from it and they will come back stronger and we would like Rory to oversee that.”

It is understood that an announcement on the new manager could be made as early as next week, so unlikely to be made at the official opening of the Donegal GAA Centre in Convoy, which takes place this Friday at 12 noon.

Among those who will be present for the opening include Minister for Sport Jack Chambers; GAA President Larry McCarthy; Ulster GAA President Ciaran McLaughlin and secretary of Ulster Council, Brian McAvoy. Representatives from all the clubs in the county have been invited to the official opening.