Donal O'Grady says he thought long and hard before deciding to walk away from the Limerick senior hurling manager’s post.
Donal O'Grady says he thought long and hard before deciding to walk away from the Limerick senior hurling manager’s post.
The Cork native took Limerick to this year’s All-Ireland quarter-final, in which they were beaten by Dublin, having signed a one-year term to take over from Justin McCarthy and lift the gloom that his reign had brought on county hurling circles.
However, despite the ex-Cork boss honouring his commitments as he rejuvenated the inter-county hurling scene in Limerick, it has disappointed many that he decided not to come back for another year.
But the outgoing boss, who also took the Shannonsiders to the Allianz Hurling League Division 2 title, says he has done his bit and now hopes the framework is in place for someone else to take the Treaty County further in 2012.
“I committed to a year and that's what I was working towards in my own head," O'Grady told the Limerick Leader.
"Some people will say why didn't I say so after the Dublin match, but I expected to win that game so hadn't thought about the future.
"I took my time and after the All-Ireland hurling final (in which Kilkenny defeated Tipperary on Sunday), which is kind of the end of the hurling year, I communicated my decision to the county board, I wanted to give it plenty of thought.
"The idea was that I would stay for a year and bring something to the table that maybe the next person can learn from.
“Last September when I agreed to come in I didn't know what kind of set-up was there but I was pleased with the support from the county board, they provided everything we needed and more."