Fogarty aims to find new blend

Fr Tom Fogarty was yesterday eager and enthusiastic about starting his new role as manager of the Offaly senior hurling team.

It is his first return to inter-county management since working with his native Tipperary for two years in the mid-1990s.

The Offaly county board ratified Fr Fogarty's appointment on Tuesday night and he takes over the vacancy left by Michael Bond, who returned to the post for a year and then stepped down after the Leinster semi-final final loss to Kilkenny last June.

During his two years with Tipperary in 1995 and 1996, the county twice fell to Limerick in the Munster championship. They lost the 1995 semi-final by a point and then the 1996 final after a replay.

Now he feels ready for a return to the demands of inter-county management. "Well I had given it a good lot of thought," he said. "And now I'm very much looking forward to it.

"It is a big challenge of course, but I'm eager now to get started. I still believe that Offaly has a very strong panel and of course I will be looking to find some younger players as well. The idea will be to combine the two."

Fr Fogarty had also worked previously with the Tipperary minors. He took over the senior side in 1995 from Babs Keating, and after his term came Len Gaynor. He was only recently approached by the Offaly county board, and learnt of his appointment on Tuesday night.

The appointment will be reviewed at the end of next season, typical of Offaly appointments in recent years. Although it will be his first time to work with any of the Offaly players, it's not entirely a matter of coming in from the dark.

"Well, I have studied and admired this team a lot over the last couple of years. They have been to the forefront of hurling for the last number of years, reaching the All-Ireland final last year and of course winning it in 1998.

"But I haven't really set out any immediate goals at this stage. The first thing to do will be to get two selectors behind me and then get our heads together on coming up with a strong panel."

There is no indication yet on who those selectors will be, but Fr Fogarty will be getting some advice from the county board on that matter. But his road starts on Sunday, when he will be closely watching the county hurling final between Birr and St Rynagh's. "That's a good place to start because it's the showpiece for any county.

"I know both sides have a number of young players and I'll be taking a close look at them."

He thus becomes the third Offaly manager in as many years, and the eighth appointment of the last decade. Pat Fleury left last year after a single season in charge, and Bond then returned for a second term that also lasted a single season.

The county is seen to be in a transition period, and this year alone Michael Duignan, Joe Dooley and Johnny Pilkington announced their retirement from the county panel. Previous Tipperary men to taken the post in recent years have been Babs Keating and John McIntyre

The Offaly county board also announced that former county hurler Declan Pilkington will take charge of the Offaly under-21 hurling side for the coming season.