Davy Fitzgerald could return to management next year

On Tuesday, Fitzgerald confirmed he would not be returning as Waterford hurling boss next season.

SEEING A FUTURE: Waterford manager Davy Fitzgerald during the Munster SHC clash with Tipperary at Walsh Park. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Davy Fitzgerald says he could be tempted back into intercounty management next year. 

On Tuesday, Fitzgerald confirmed to the Irish Examiner that he would not be returning as Waterford hurling boss next year, but he won't rule out a return elsewhere, confirming he hasn't fallen out of love with the game.

“Never say never," Fitzgerald told RTÉ radio show Morning Ireland. "If the right thing comes at some stage, yeah. Maybe it will be next year or the year after. You don’t know, you never know what will happen.

“Am I saying I’m out of love with the game? Definitely not. I’m not out of love.

“It’s nice to have a summer; I don’t get too many summers where I don’t have to think about hurling. Might that change? It might, I don’t know."

Fitzgerald, who had been Waterford manager for the past two seasons, said it was difficulty to walk away from a group he felt were still on an upward curve.

“It’s just, right now, I felt Waterford need an answer … and at this very second, it just seems the right thing to do. Was it an easy decision? Definitely not.

"Sometimes you’re in a job and you have a bad experience – and I don’t. I’m happy that Waterford are on the right track, and the people were very good to me down there.

"Where we got them from two years ago, I think we have come on a ton. We were very unlucky that we didn’t go forward in the championship. I think we played some great stuff and the lads were incredible and gave me everything.

“The lads showed unbelievable resilience. You’d have heard different things: ‘Ah, they’re a tough bunch to work with, and will they stand up to pressure?’ They did all of the above."

His two-year-old son and the distance to Waterford from his home in Clare were factors in Fitzgerald's decision to call time now.

"It's been in my head all the time," he told RTÉ. "Waterford isn’t right beside you, it’s a nice journey, leaving early in the day. I have Dáithí Óg in my life now which is a lot different."