Five ‘in-house managers’ that might be in line to succeed Davy Burke
Who is in the frame to succeed Davy Burke as Roscommon senior football manager? Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne
While the focus turns to club activity in County Roscommon this weekend with the start of the Senior, Intermediate and Junior A Football Championships, the conversation about who will be the next Roscommon senior football manager is likely to crop up among supporters attending games.
While there’s no sign of white smoke, a narrative is gaining momentum that Davy Burke’s successor should be a Roscommon person, something highlighted by columnist Michael Finneran a few weeks ago.
“My strongest feeling on it is that I’d like to see a Roscommon man take it on. Okay, in some situations it might be best for a county to look for some outside expertise, but, by and large, it’s best to stay local. How many of the top teams in the country have outside managers?,” opined the Roscommon midfielder.
With that in mind, here are five “in-house candidates” that might be in the frame to succeed Davy Burke.
As far as we know, he’s in the race to become the new manager, having been the only candidate nominated by at least one club.
After plying his trade with the London footballers, in recent years he was involved in Anthony Cunningham’s backroom team before becoming Roscommon U-20 manager for two years.
The second of those years procured a memorable provincial triumph in 2024, so it’s understandable why he’s in the frame.
As he has been nominated, he’s set to be interviewed by the selection committee over the coming weeks unless he withdraws from the race.
Probably one of Roscommon’s unluckiest players not to win an All-Star in 2003, success has followed Dolan’s burgeoning managerial career.
Great days with his native St. Brigid’s, both as a player and a manager, have been followed by his appointment as Abbeylara manager in early 2024, which procured a first championship success for the club in 18 years last autumn.
On the intercounty circuit, he was part of Noel Dunning’s management team at U-20 level, while he has spent this year learning the ropes under Oisín McConville in Wicklow.
Success has followed Dowd wherever he has gone.
He burst on the scene as part of Fergal O’Donnell’s management that led Roscommon to All-Ireland glory in 2006.
He guided the Roscommon U-21 footballers to a memorable Connacht championship triumph in 2015 and probably should have gone back-to-back against Mayo in the final a year later.
In recent years, he was part of the Strokestown management team that won the senior championship in 2022. Ten years previously, he guided Ballaghaderreen to Mayo glory and the Connacht club final against St. Brigid’s.
He is the current manager of the Roscommon Gaels senior footballers, hoping to go one better than last year’s county final defeat against Pádraig Pearses.
Ten years ago, the odds were heavily stacked in Dineen’s favour in terms of becoming a future Roscommon senior football manager.
Manager of Connacht-winning Roscommon U-21 teams in 2012 and 2014, he brought through a crop of talented underage players that became the backbone of the county senior footballers for the best part of a decade.
In 2017, he put his hat in the race to become manager before withdrawing. He subsequently spent one year with Paul Taylor in the Sligo senior footballers’ management set-up.
Following a stint with Strokestown, an intermediate championship triumph in charge of Elphin last season was a timely reminder of his managerial ability.
Universally, the former Boyle and Roscommon player would be a very popular choice.
Given that led a previously unheralded group of players to this year’s Connacht U-20 football final, the wise money suggests that he is the man to bring through the next crop of underage footballers to senior level.
He has plenty of senior experience on the club circuit, having guided his native Boyle to a couple of county finals in 2022 and 2023.
Definitely, a county senior football manager in the making.
