NEW OFFALY BOSS John Maughan has confirmed his backroom team for the 2019 campaign.
Maughan will bring Edenderry man Kevin Guing and Crossmolina native Gerry O’Malley on board as his selectors. Ballyboden St Enda’s club man Mark Fee comes in as football coach, while former Cavan footballer Dermot Sheridan has been appointed as strength and conditioning coach.
“I was very happy with them,” said Maughan at the 2019 championship draw in RTÉ last night.
“Dermot Sheridan is a Sigerson Cup winner with DCU in 2010, Sigerson Cup winner with Sligo IT in 2005 atvnd involved in coaching in DCU for the last number of years. Played full-back for Cavan.
“Gerry O’Malley, he won an All-Ireland club with my hometown Crossmolina, he lives outside Ferbane for the last 14 years.”
O’Malley is married to the daughter of Offaly legend Sean Lowry, who won a Connacht medal alongside Maughan while playing with Mayo in 1985.
Maughan has been handed a difficult task in the Leinster SFC with Offaly drawn against Meath in the first round. The winners face Carlow in the quarter-final with Westmeath or Laois awaiting the winners in the last four.
Maughan admitted on the live coverage that he’s “a little bit scared” by the prospect of taking on the Royals, who brought Tyrone to extra-time in the qualifiers last summer.
But the Mayo native says he’s excited by the prospect of managing the Faithful as he becomes the first man to manage a senior county side in all four provinces.
“I don’t know, I suppose I had no intention of going back to be quite honest with you. The last number of years I’d been coaching young fellas in Castlebar for five or six years.
“I was with a junior club down the road from me for the last two years, my brother’s the chairman down there and I was giving a dig out. There’s just something about it, I have the energy for it.
“I didn’t think I’d get the opportunity and yeah, it tickled my fancy right now and family-wise, my kids are kind of scattered and yeah, just a fear of sitting in front of the TV every evening. It frightened me!”
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Rory on fire at the moment – joy to watch.
The now mature Rory is handling The pressure very well. Fingers crossed.
Reed packing serious timber.
Reed has this wrapped up
@Carl Johnson: hopefully .got him at 33′s.a few early bogies from Rory will have me smiling
@Carl Johnson: haha. A 3 shot lead going into the final round is nothing. Just ask mcilroy or Greg norman. Mcilroy played some round with alot of scrambling. My money on him.
@Carl Johnson: there could be a 2 or 3 shot swing within the first 3/4 holes, and the back nine on a Sunday is a different beast altogether. Only a fool would write off Rory at this stage
@Ardmore02: got Rory at 6-1 this evening here’s hoping
@Carl Johnson: Come on John Rahm!!
@Paul Friday Shannon: fair play dude. Wish ya luck.
I have to declare that I have a vested interest in Paddy Reed winning as I have backed him @ 50/1 e/w but I am so looking forward to himself & Rory going head to head tomorrow. Their Ryder Cup battle in 2016 was one of the best singles duels of all time. Let’s hope they replicate that tomorrow at Augusta. Can’t see the winner coming from outside of these 2 but you never know. Fowler could be the only one but he’d need to a shoot sub 66 & that’s a big ask on Masters Sunday.
Reed not the fitted looking bloke… 4 tough rounds takes its toll…. could be what separates them at the end
Great stuff