Offaly’s Rigney ponders switch to London

OFFALY defender James Rigney is considering an inter-county transfer to London after moving there for work.

The 25-year-old, who missed the entire 2011 campaign through injury, has been forced abroad in search of employment and has warned Offaly could lose more players to emigration.

He claims the Offaly board are not doing enough to keep the county’s best players at home.

“Of course I’d love to be at home, working, back in the gym and training for the county team again but it’s not feasible. Maybe in a few months, if something comes up,” he said.

“Ollie Baker hasn’t been in touch with me yet. I was chatting to Paul Bell from the Offaly supporters’ club and he said ‘best of luck in London’.

Andy Gallagher from the county board wished me the best too but there’s no real system in Offaly at the moment. “We weren’t allowed to train in O’Connor Park last year and that’s still under the carpet.

“It’s the same thing with the footballers, they can’t even get a manager.

“And the best [football] player in Offaly, Niall McNamee, has said that he’s going to give it up if they don’t get someone. I know for a fact they have systems in place in other counties with people looking for jobs for players. I don’t know if there’s much going on in Offaly. I was chatting to Siobhan Earley from the GPA and only for them, I could be gone a long time ago out of Ireland.”

Rigney has applied for a gym instructor course in Dublin, which could have him back in Ireland early next February, but his immediate future lies abroad.

“I can tell you that another player or two definitely won’t be hurling with Offaly next year.

“I won’t say their names but they have no work.

“One of the lads was in America last year – the county board said they’d look after him but they promise you so much and you don’t get anything out of them. I’d love to go back and hurl for Offaly again but it’s very hard going to training if you have no money to put diesel in the van.

“The London team over here at the moment have a lot of young hurlers from Ireland and they will be a team to be reckoned with in the next few years if the current climate continues.

“I’m meeting them next week and talking to them, to see what’s on the table. I’m not putting pen to paper on anything yet.”

Rigney added: “My brother hurled out here and he told the club about me. They rang me straight away and set me up in a job and with a house to stay in. I haven’t signed for them yet but if I do sign for a club out here, it won’t be for anybody else but them.

“I left word with my club secretary that if Ollie Baker gets in touch, to give him my English mobile number.

“But I might not get in with the Offaly panel because I did feck all hurling last year. But hurling is not everything at the end of the day and you have to make a wage and a life for yourself.”