Éamonn Kelly steps down

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Bord na Mona man
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Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by Bord na Mona man »

Éamonn Kelly quits as Offaly senior hurling manager citing 'personal and business demands'

BY PAT NOLAN

Eamonn Kelly has quit as Offaly senior hurling manager, citing "personal and business demands".

The Tipperary native had served just one year in the role having taken over from Brian Whelahan after last year's Championship.

His tenure was a mixed bag as, while Offaly maintained their Division 1B League status and escaped from the Leinster qualifier group for 2017 at Laois's expense, there were embarrassing defeats to Kerry, Kilkenny and Westmeath over the course of the year.

His last game in charge was a comprehensive qualifier defeat to Wexford last month.With Offaly having had no underage success of note for many years as the senior team's status continues to fall, it promises to be a difficult position to fill for the county board, which expressed disappointment at Kelly's decision.

In a statement, Kelly said: "Having reviewed the season just gone and considered the increasing personal and business demands on my time at present, I have informed Offaly county board that I will not be in a position to continue as manager of the Senior Hurling team for 2017.

"I want to thank all those who assisted me during the year.

"In particular, I want to thank my coach, Conor Gleeson, selectors, Gary Cahill and Ciaran McDonald, performance manager Emmett Egan and the entire backroom team, all of whom gave me great assistance, loyalty and support and made a hugely valuable contribution to team preparation.

"Most of all, I want to thank the Offaly players.

"It was a privilege and a pleasure to serve as team manager to such a fine group of hurlers and people.

"They offered me every co-operation, commitment and trust at all times and I want to wish all of them every success for the future.

"I knew from when I first met Offaly county board officers in 2015 that they really want to see improvement in the county's hurling fortunes and I want to thank them for their support and wish them well.

"Hurling needs counties like Offaly to compete consistently at the top level and my aim and that of my management team was to help them make progress towards that goal.

"I believe there is an excellent squad of players in Offaly with the potential to make significant progress in the coming years.

"I look forward to watching them do that and become a real and persistent force again at the top level."

http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/gaa/hur ... or-8630230

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by Bord na Mona man »

A little bit surprised he didn't stay on. Maybe his parting shot after the Wexford game at the uninvolved players was the sign of a man who felt he was going to exit.
By all accounts the set up was professional, unfortunately there are limits to what can be achieved by any Offaly manager given what has been coming through at underage for the last 15 years.

Now the search starts again for a successor. I'd say every year an Offaly chairman starts ringing potentials, he gets more and more calls diverting to voicemail.

Rodgie
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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by Rodgie »

Disappointing that Eamon Kelly stepped down after just one year. I know he has said it was because of work and personal commitments but I hope there were not internal reasons behind him stepping down. I think he did a good job in terms of putting professional levels of performance preparation in place. This alone was a move in the right direction by Offaly and must be retained from now on. Actually the role of manager in the modern game can be viewed from a number of angles. If the manager is more hands on then he is effectively a coach, there is also a case to be made for an individual that can delegate responsibility for team preparation. Eamon Kelly was a man to organize and get people to work within a structure. I think he was less effective on match days with team selections and maybe one or two changes which did or didn't happen. Overall we now have team preparation in terms of S & C, Diet and sports science right. The professionals involved must be retained if we are to have any chance. What we need now more than anything is a hurling coach/manager who can bring improvement to team selection, tactics and match day situations as long as the current team performance professionals are retained.

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by SearingDrive »

Like above posters I am sorry to see Eamonn Kelly step down after just one year. While there were some bad results, the structure behind Offaly teams was more professional, and over a year or two things might come together.
I am not sure that an internal appointment as manager would be the right thing, an outsider would be my choice, even if candidates might be scarce.
Appointing a manager will take time, the new man should ideally take a look at potential county players in the hurling championships. Last year the Co. Board got the appointment right.
One name I thought of as manager was Anthony Cunningham, late of Galway. Any other views?

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by Rodgie »

Anthony Cunningham would not be a good choice. I think it was proved in Galway that he got team selections and a lot of decisions badly wrong, (Callanan, Tipp 3 Goal fiasco) (Skehill playing all Ireland with dislocated shoulder) hence his removal by the players last year.

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by Toxicity234 »

Best of Luck to Kelly in the future.
He is credited in getting some of the Offaly fitter then they every been.
Thanks to the links brian whelehan and the county board have set up the year before with AIT.
Listen Kelly got fooled by the people he had to trusted when he came into Offaly.

They told him that the mid 20's Offaly lads lacked discipline so Kelly went in and acted like a dictator and lost a lot of them.
It total backfire on him and not for the 1st time for an Offaly manager. He was left trying to pick a team without half the county. when Kelly figured it out, he was stuck, he could get back the players he need without upset the players that had trained all year but he tried to cover this by asking loads back in. He got some back but the key position for him he was left short. in the end he fill in the spot with U21's.
Behind the comment and no matter how he justifies them, If the best players are not playing for the county then he know in his heart of heart why.

I see Sean Ryan said it was an enjoyable year hurling under Kelly. If losing to Kerry, getting Hammered by Kilkenny, Westmeath and Clare is an enjoyable year we're a Nicky Rickard county not a Liam McCarthy County.
If Birr had talking a hammering from Rynagh's Kilcormac Killoughy and Tullamore and Ryan stated in the Tribune that it was an enjoyable year he be fucking murdered. Birr have more Pride in themselves than to take a comment like that.

There a lot of talk about modern hurling over the last few years. Going by the Semi finals over the last few weeks modern hurling is now 15 vs 15 or just hurling as it knowing for a the last 90 years.

Honesty is now the most important thing in Offaly hurling.
Hurlers must be honest in the commitment that they can give and the commitment they give away from the group.
Manager must be honest in listen to players commitment issues and in working with the players to get the max commitment from them. even if that mean training away from the group.
The County Board must be Honest in the processes it use to appoint the manager and personal opinion should be left at the door. A Manager who can put a team in place that can bring the county together is now the important thing.
We already seen a push for an ex-player that hasn't managed anyone in 14 years to be given the job.

The Massive damage to done to Offaly hurling over the last 4 years of playing system instead of the game, It will take a 10 years to overcome if we start playing the game at minor and u16 level.
Whoever takes over now has to retrain the players that have been forced at inter county level to hand pass the ball instead of strike it. to retrain players that have been thought to look 10 yards instead of looking for the best opinion.
We're in a bad spot.
Not Kelly fault in anyway shape or form and again Best of luck to him in the Future.
“Common sense is not so common.”

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by SearingDrive »

Rodgie wrote:Anthony Cunningham would not be a good choice. I think it was proved in Galway that he got team selections and a lot of decisions badly wrong, (Callanan, Tipp 3 Goal fiasco) (Skehill playing all Ireland with dislocated shoulder) hence his removal by the players last year.
He got Galway to 2 All Ireland Finals which arguably they should have won. Players have to accept some responsibility too, that are on the field. Some of the egos in Galway thought they knew better so Cunningham was dumped. Galway lost on Sunday, it shows that the players were not just good enough. I presume Michael Donoghue will be allowed to manage the team without the hassle of a potential coup.

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

This quote of Seán Ryan's sums up Kelly's tenure (it probably sums up everyone else's tenure too, come to think of it) - "It was the first time I was really exposed to what a top-class inter-county set-up was."

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic- ... 68536.html
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

Where did you see the quote where Seán Ryan said "it was an enjoyable year" hurling under Kelly?
Toxicity234 wrote:I see Sean Ryan said it was an enjoyable year hurling under Kelly.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by bracknaghboy »

Perhaps it was a professional set up this year. You can do 3 nights a weeks in the gym, have strength and conditioning guys, fancy nutrition/diet plans and stats men to beat the band but if you don't also instill a bit of fight and passion into your team you are at nothing. There was no fight in that team in Mullingar in May. Westmeath played like it was their All Ireland final but our boys never raised a wimper.
Next day out against Carlow with Christ Ring looming and pride badly hurt lads should have been bulling around the pitch fighting for their lives. Instead they were 0-5 to 0-1 down after 10mins and the narrow win had a lot to do with Carlows inability to score and eventual implosion with red cards than anything else. Little or no fight shown in the Wexford game either, nor the league quarter final. Also the defeat to Kerry in the league after beating Wexford simply shouldn't have happened. Really we are scrapping around the 2nd half of the Laois game and bits and pieces of the Galway game where you felt the boys were standing up and being counted.
At intercounty level a team must be prepared to stand up and fight tooth and nail for 70 odd minutes every championship game not a few minutes here and there when things are going well.
Yes I believe Kelly and his team got selections off at times (although that is subjective), poor tactical decisions were made (playing with no centre forward v W'meath in 1st half with a strong wind) and he didn't get the best players playing (as he admitted after the Wexford game) but the biggest issue evident was the general lack of fight and spirit. I seen many a poorly prepared Offaly hurling and football team down the years fighting to the death in games but this we were told was the most professional set up in years but no fight.

I 100% respect his decision to step down. Too many would hang in for another season and hope for the best but I reckon he doesn't think he can get this team any further. And so another manager making his Liam McCarty managerial bow hastily exits stage left. Our past managers usually end up on the managerial dole queue which I'm sure potential successors are only too well aware. Here we go again....lets roll the dice one more time!

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by townman »

agree Bracknaghboy they had no fight in mullingar and to make things worse we had to go throught it all over again a few weeks later in the big ball code :cry:

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Re: Éamonn Kelly steps down

Post by GOOFY »

Bit of a difference town man with the performances of the hurlers and footballers in mullingar. It was a close game with the footballers in fairness.
First ball is when you make your mark

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