Ciaran McManus has admitted that the Offaly county board's failure to appoint one of the two local candidates as their new football manager was a factor in his decision to retire from inter-county football after 16 years of service.

Gerry Cooney was appointed as Tom Cribbin's successor after a three-month search last week after former county stars Tom Coffey and Stephen Darby, as well as ex-Dublin player Jack Sheedy, all withdrew from the process.

"There were great Offaly men looking for the job as well as a good Dublin man," the Tubber clubman said on Midlands 103.

"It is just disappointing the lads didn't get the chance early on and I am very disappointed for Stephen (Darby) and Tom (Coffey) in particular. Both would have done a great job.

"That just added to it, but it was part of it (my decision to retire). The new management obviously want to look at fresh players and maybe there is a spot there now for a young lad to get in."

With Niall McNamee also indicating that he won't be involved next year and Joe Quinn taking up a new strength and conditioning role with Westmeath, a new era beckons for Offaly football.

"Hopefully it is a good one, we badly need it," McManus continued.

"We have been in four or five Leinster minor finals in recent years and unfortunately never got to win one of those.

"We need to make a mark at U21 and we need to make a mark at senior level. There are a lot of lads looking for direction and maybe the new management can give that and get them going.

"There is plenty of talent there and I know that we can do it. The pool of talent we have in the county to others is pretty small, but there is plenty of talent, plenty of good lads and good young lads and hopefully it is the beginning of a new era for Offaly, but we have a lot of work to do."

McManus felt now was the right time to bring the curtain down on his long inter-county career.

"I suppose I have been thinking about it for a while now and when you are playing for 16 or 17 years, you think about it every year when you are getting near the end," he said.

"I just felt it was probably the right time for myself with a new management gone in, and he has obviously a two or three-year programme and that would add a few years to where I am now. I'd be nearly 40.

"The other thing was the delay in putting a management team in place and I probably felt that it was the best time to get out. I was playing reasonably well last year and I am happy enough with the way I finished up, but obviously disappointed with the way Offaly finished up." Tweet

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