Kieran Donaghy turned down ‘a few approaches’ for inter-county management this off-season.
The Star says that, due to work and family commitments, his role as a coach/selector with Armagh suits him better at this time.
Donaghy, says that, seeing as he does a lot of his work out of Dublin, for PST Sport astroturf suppliers, the trek to Armagh isn’t as bad as it seems from the outside.
That being said, he doesn’t feel that he’d have the time for the wide-ranging commitment that inter-county management would present, and that’s why vacancies in nearby counties such as Tipperary, Waterford, Limerick and Clare didn’t appeal to him.
“There were a few approaches (for inter-county management) but I was very quick to shut it down because of where we are, where I am with work… and the job of an inter-county manager,” he says.
“And I think this three years has stood to me because I wouldn’t be ready for management and we’re too busy with work for me to be travelling anywhere three or four nights a week and getting to all the gym sessions and pitch sessions.
“I see Kieran (McGeeney) there, he’s at every one of our gym sessions and pitch sessions, he’s on the go every night, trying to help Armagh improve and get to the next level.
“That’s the kind of dedication that’s required and that’s what I’d have to give to one of those counties, and just where I am now, with my personal life at home, and where we are with work, and how busy we are with work, it was never really an option as of now to manage with anybody.”
From a playing perspective, Donaghy (40) was disappointed to miss out on the majority of Austin Stacks club championship campaign. He says that it was a very important year for the club, as they tried and, due to a defeat to a Clifford-inspired Fossa, failed to regain their senior status.
“I damaged my meniscus against Kerins O’Rahillys in the county league relegation game so unfortunately I missed all of the championship with the lads.
“And yeah, it was tough. I helped out Billy in the background and on game day I was around the lads but yeah, certainly very tough to miss playing with the lads this year, a year that was important for the club to try to get back up into senior football.”
“It was a very difficult six weeks watching that, having to go back up to Ray Moran and have him look at my old knee that he operated on 15 years ago in 2008. He was giving me options to avoid going in for another surgery.”
The evergreen Donaghy was back doing some pre-season work with the Tralee Warriors basketball team this week, and will continue to complete his rehab over the next few weeks.
“I went down to Eanna Falvey in Cork, he’s working away with me, along with the physio group that I’d be with,” he says, ahead of a partnership with Tralee Warriors and Virgin Media.
“I’m just trying to get back out there to play a bit of basketball in the off season and, you know, we had a poor season by our own standards with the warriors last season.
“Big focus on trying to be really competitive this year. Trying to get the old knee to work a small bit to allow me to run.
“Yeah, I’m doing good rehab. Just tore the meniscus so there was other damage in that knee from 2008 as I said, I ruptured my posterior that summer in a championship game against Dingle and was struggling to get back for the Championship really, to be healthy.
“Ray was happy, he didn’t think I’d get 15 years out of it. The rehab that the physios have prescribed me, in fairness Paudie McQuinn gave me really good exercises and I’ve been really dedicated to them over the last kind of four or six weeks. I was a bit disillusioned for a while but I’ve seen the improvements big time over the last week or so.”
Virgin Media are delighted to support Irish Super League Basketball team Tralee Warriors BC, coinciding with Virgin Media’s rollout of 2gb full fibre broadband to more homes and businesses across Ireland, including the town of Tralee.
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