Teehan: We owe Joe

OFFALY chairman Pat Teehan said the county board owes a “debt of gratitude” to Joe Dooley after he stepped down from his position as senior hurling manager on Tuesday.

Teehan was unequivocal in his praise of the Seir Kieran man who resigned as Faithful boss after four years in charge following Saturday’s narrow second round All-Ireland qualifier defeat to Cork.

“Joe Dooley, Brendan Kelly and Pat McLoughney have all given a lifetime of service to Offaly GAA,” said Teehan.

“I had a great working relationship with them.

“Joe now believes there’s a need for a new voice with our senior hurlers and we have to respect that. We owe a debt of gratitude to him.”

Teehan’s comments come just a couple of weeks after Dooley was compelled to write a letter to clubs complaining about his team’s difficulty in gaining access to O’Connor Park. The manager was livid after he had to cancel a training session on June 11 when they were prevented from using the Tullamore grounds.

The letter, also signed by his selectors, Dooley’s son and team captain Shane as well as the team secretary, was believed to be a major indicator in deteriorating relations between the senior hurling camp and the county board.

Teehan revealed the Offaly management committee will make a statement concerning the recent controversy involving their hurlers at next Tuesday’s monthly county board meeting.

The committee had previously said they would not comment on the letter until the hurlers had exited the All-Ireland championship.

Teehan is hoping a line will be drawn underneath the matter when they explain their side of the story to the clubs.

“We might have indicated at the time what we’d be doing and it will be to the clubs next week. We haven’t really finalised what we’re going to say, to be honest.’’