New Offaly football manager Pat Flanagan has failed to persuade exiled stars Richie Dalton, Sean Pender and Ross Brady to return to the fold.

The trio were controversially axed by former manager Emmett McDonnell in 2013 for missing a training session and have been soured by the experience, according to Flanagan.

"It outlines the depth of hurt and feeling they felt at the time," the Clara man said in an extensive interview with the Tullamore Tribune.

"It is very disappointing to me as a new manager and I made the point to them all that I couldn't influence anything that happened in the past and they would get a seriously fair opportunity going forward, but at this moment in time, they are not in a position to commit.

"I am not going to undermine or say anything bad about Emmett McDonnell. I know how difficult a job it is to manage. A decision was made at the time. Whether it was the right one or the wrong one, it has impinged an awful lot on what is going to happen Offaly football going forward.

"It is unfortunate, but all I can do is go forward with the people who want to be there. I would hope that those boys would reconsider. There is still a bit of time to do that."

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