Dooley 'proud of the lads' as he hangs up Offaly reins
Offaly senior hurling manager Joe Dooley has said he is proud of the Offaly senior team, as he steps down from his post.
Dooley, who cited personal and professional reasons for his decision, had an initial three-year term at the helm and was reappointed last October for another season after a promising 2010 campaign.
Last year the Faithfuls took Galway to a replay in the Leinster semi-final and beat Limerick in the All-Ireland qualifiers before losing to eventual champions Tipperary.
But this season has been one to forget. Dooley's men were relegated from Division 1 of the Allianz Hurling League in the spring and drew media attention for all the wrong reasons earlier this month.
The three-time All-Ireland winner wrote to Offaly County Board Secretary Martin Bolan to express his annoyance at his panel's treatment at a training session in Tullamore.
Preparing for their first phase qualifier against Cork, some of the Offaly players were prevented from training at O'Connor Park, with a groundsman denying them access ahead of their scheduled training time.
Dooley wrote that "as a result of the way we were received, from gates being locked all over the place, to players and mentors being asked to leave the field, to not being allowed walk across the field, to the threat of cars being removed from outside the ground, we had no choice but to call off training".
The Offaly County Board responded by saying that they will issue "a full and frank response to the issues raised" following the completion of the Faithfuls' Liam MacCarthy Cup campaign.
The off-the-pitch troubles and a spate of injuries left Dooley and Offaly under pressure, although they did draw plaudits for a gutsy display against Dublin in the Leinster Championship.
They also went close to toppling Cork in last Saturday's qualifier. Despite this, Dooley feels he has done all he can and having taken a few days to consider his future, the Clareen man has decided to call it a day.
Speaking to RTÉ, he said: "I went in for a three-year term and that was up last year and the County Board asked me to stay on. But I think it's maybe time to step aside and let somebody in, to be honest.
"I've had four very enjoyable years, we’ve made a lot of progress, there’s a lot of great young fellas there that have given great commitment over the last few years and they’re up to a level now where maybe they need to hear a different voice. For that reason, I suppose, I'm stepping aside.
"Things were going very, very well which makes it even harder again, but I think it is just the right thing to do at this time.
"I was very proud of how the lads played against Cork, but the one-point defeat was tough to accept. We felt we probably should have beaten Dublin as well and could be in a Leinster final at this stage. But we are not and it is slim margins.
"We had an awful lot of injuries for a small county and that didn't help either but at the end of the day there was great pride shown in the jersey and the lads that went out gave it everything.
"You couldn't ask for any more than that. I have no doubt that their day will come and it is much sooner maybe than they realise," added the 47-year-old, whose son Shane is the current Offaly captain and free-taker.
