The Dublin County board has initiated the official process to find the replacement for Jim Gavin.

The five-in-a-row winning manager left his role with the Dublin Senior intercounty team at the weekend.

At a meeting of the executive of the Dublin GAA at Parnell Park yesterday evening, chairman Sean Shanley confirmed the proposition of a sub-committee to interview potential replacements for Gavin.

"There is no white smoke as such" said Shanley to the Herald after last night's meeting.

"All we have done is propose a sub-committee to interview potential candidates. And that sub-committee has to be approved by the county committee this Thursday night.

"So until that happens, we are not in a position to release the names of the people on the sub-committee. If the county committee agrees to give us the go-ahead, we will take it from there.

Timeline

While Shanley was understandably tight lipped about the process to succeed Jim Gavin, he did reveal a potential end date for the selection process.

"Ideally we would like to have everything done and dusted before our annual convention on December 12."

The two names being linked with the post are Dessie Farrell and Pat Gilroy. The Irish Times had reported that former boss Pat Gilroy had first refusal on the role.

Sean Shanley denied this was the case in an interview on Newstalk on Monday, but the speculation led to some bookmakers suspending betting on Gilroy as next manager.

That market has since been re-opened with Farrell as the odds-on favourite.