Niall McNamee has re-joined the Offaly football panel ahead of Sunday's NFL Division 3 opener against Longford.

The gifted forward, who revealed before Christmas that he had a gambling problem which he has been treated for at the Rutland Centre in Dublin, has resumed training with his Offaly team-mates, but isn't yet ready to make a return to action and won't feature at Pearse Park.
In an interview with the Tullamore Tribune, new Offaly manager Gerry Cooney - who works as an addiction counsellor at the Rutland Centre - refused to take credit for the 26-year-old's on-going recovery.

"I played some part, but he did all the work. I am glad to welcome him back. I believe he's in a good place. He is working with his programme and that is the most important part of his life at the moment," Cooney said.

"To his credit, he is dealing with his problems and he should be allowed to get on with his life. His family and friends will benefit from that and if Offaly football benefits, well and good. He has made a start and we need to allow him the time and space he needs."

Cooney, who was on a pre-arranged charity trip to Namibia when Offaly played Westmeath and Kildare in the O'Byrne Cup, acknowledges that Sunday's game is a massive test for his new charges.

"It's a big game; there is no doubt about that. If we want to get promoted we have to start well. We are not prepared as well as we would like, but at the same time we hope to be considerably stronger than in the O'Byrne Cup," he added. Tweet

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