Regan rails at decline of Offaly hurling

Former Offaly All-Ireland winner Daithí Regan has taken a swipe at his county’s management, while the players weren’t spared from criticism either.

With the county already destined to spend another season in the second tier of the league after losses to Dublin and most recently to Limerick, speaking exclusively to the Irish Examiner Regan said he stands by comments that they would be a Christy Ring side within five years. He added that some of manager Ollie Baker’s decision-making “is like something you’d see at a junior level”, and noted that the focus for this season “had to be promotion and that would define a good year but that’s already gone now”.

The Birr native, who works as a pundit and has recently taken over senior club Shinroan, continued: “In Offaly, the players look for crutches. We look for excuses. We hurl from behind. We give up a yard. And I’ve been watching it for the last five years. At the weekend when we played Limerick, with them you can see a game plan with control, with movement, with speed.