New Carlow senior hurling manager Tom Mullally is “looking forward to getting his teeth into” his new job following his appointment last week.
Mullally, who coached Mount Leinster Rangers to a Leinster final victory over Wexford side Oularth The Ballagh in 2013, believes that the delay in the start to the inter-county season may suit his Carlow side as they begin preparations for the new Allianz League campaign.
“There’s a lot of background planning going on, so it suits us that training and games haven’t started just yet,” said Mullally.
There has been a lot of speculation around who Mullally will appoint to his backroom team since he was assigned to the post, but the Kilkenny man was coy on making any premature announcements before everything is finalised.
“We’re hoping to confirm our backroom team by the end of the week.
“Once we know everyone is committed to the set-up, we’ll announce it.”
The Glenmore clubman also doesn’t want to set any long-term targets for the team yet, with more immediate matters at the forefront of his mind.
“Our priority is to get plans organised, finalise our backroom team and getting training plans ready to go.”
Mullally, a former selector for the Kilkenny and Wexford minor teams, feels that full commitment to Carlow hurling is required in order for the side to be successful throughout the course of his tenure as manager.
Mullally said: “We’ve been speaking to the players to see where they’re at. The players seem to be keen for 2021 and the big challenge for us is to assess who has the appetite for it and those who don’t.
“The players are the central part of any team. They have to dictate the tempo and decide how the year goes.”