Liam Kearns finalises Offaly management team

New Offaly football boss Liam Kearns has finalised his management team as he moves to draw up his panel for 2023.

Confirmed as the Kerryman’s selectors are Tullamore’s John Rouse and Martin Murphy of Gracefield.

Rouse managed Tullamore to the Offaly SFC in 2013 and also enjoyed notable success with Knockbeg College and St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge, where he now teaches, leading both schools to Leinster Colleges titles as well as an All-Ireland with the former in 2005. He briefly served as part of the Offaly management team in 2018 when his brother Paul was interim manager.

Murphy is currently in charge of Portarlington, who have just completed the three-in-a-row in Laois and are seen as live contenders for a Leinster title this year, while he also won a Laois SFC with Stradbally previously.

Alan Flynn, who managed Galway to the 2013 All-Ireland under-21 title, will serve as coach having worked with Clare and Kildare in recent years while Keith Carr will be the strength and conditioning coach. Carr has been involved with a number of inter-county teams, including Galway and Roscommon footballers and Clare hurlers.

Former Tipperary netminder Paul Fitzgerald has been appointed as the goalkeeping coach.

On the playing side, Kearns has already suffered a blow with the news that goalkeeper Paddy Dunican will not be involved in 2023 as the Shamrocks man is going travelling and is due to leave for Australia this week.

Jordan Hayes, a member of the Defence Forces, is embarking on a tour of duty which will rule him out of the League while several members of last year’s All-Ireland under-20 winning side are nursing injury problems, though Peter Cunningham will be back on board for the coming season after completing his own tour of duty earlier this year.

Kearns may have to plan without two of Offaly’s most experienced players, however, with Niall McNamee and captain Johnny Moloney considering their future.

McNamee, 37, is currently preparing for Rhode’s Leinster club campaign and is getting married at Christmas, while Galway-based Moloney, 32, may struggle to commit for another season.

“Father Time will get Niall at some stage and we can do nothing about that but we will let him make his own decision,” Kearns told Offaly Live.

“I would love to get Johnny but he has family commitments and he is based in Galway. It is a serious decision for him and he has been considering it for a year or two.

“I would love to have him and I definitely think he has another year or two where he could physically play but personally, Johnny has given plenty of time to Offaly as well. He doesn't owe Offaly either. I would love to have the two of them but we will just have to wait and see.”