Billy Sheehan is poised to be named the new manager of the Laois senior footballers.
He will succeed fellow Kerry man Micheál Quirke who stepped down in July following what he described as an "horrendous" display against Westmeath. Quirke has since gone on to accept a role on Jack O'Connor's new backroom team with Kerry.
Originally hailing from Tralee, Sheehan transferred to Laois club Emo in 2004 and was first called into the O'Moore's squad by Mick O'Dwyer in 2005.
Sheehan was a staple of that Laois team for a decade.
He's no stranger to inter-county coaching, having been part of Peadar Healy's backroom team with Cork in 2016 and 2017. Sheehan was also part of Stephen Wallace's short-lived stewardship of the Offaly footballers in 2018.
He'll join a growing list of Kerry natives who have managed Laois, with O'Dwyer, Quirke and John Sugrue all having preceded him in the role.
Sheehan will have his work cut out for him, however. Laois were relegated to Division 3 of the Allianz Football League this year. They lost all three round robin games, and the subsequent playoff with Down.
The 3-20 to 1-10 quarter-final loss to Westmeath precipitated Quirke's departure.
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