Former Roscommon star Donie Shine feels that Mark Dowd was the best choice to succeed Davy Burke as the Rossies’ next senior football manager.

Dowd was ratified as the county’s new supremo a month ago, having previously worked as part of the Rossies’ minor management team in 2006 when they won the All-Ireland and also managed them to Connacht U21 glory in 2015, as well as being involved in the senior team’s 2010 and 2019 Connacht victories.

Shine worked under him during those 2006 and 2010 successes and, speaking to GAA.ie this week, the former marksman feels that the Strokestown native is the best man for the job.

“You would hear that said around the place, that it would be good to have a local person or a Roscommon man, I wouldn't really buy into that. I think you get the best person for the job and it's as simple as that,” said Shine.

“I've had primarily Fergal O'Donnell in the years we've had success. "I was with Kevin McStay and Fergal O'Donnell in 2016 as well. We had John Evans, who was excellent.

"They all brought different things to the table and they all had their own ideas about how we should play. I suppose I wouldn't side either way in terms of inside or outside manager.

"Once the manager is coming with high standards and a good structure for preparation, that's all I really ever wanted - to make sure we were doing as much as possible, that we could achieve and win games. For me, it doesn't make a difference whether inside or out once they're doing the job to a high standard.

“Now Mark Dowd, I think, was the best candidate either way. The fact that he's a Roscommon man just adds to it, that he's a passionate Roscommon man. But he has a good record and he was probably the best person available and the guy who wanted the job. I think he was a really good choice for Roscommon."

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