‘That wasn’t true’ Davy Fitzgerald issues clarity on his future after misleading reports

Antrim were relegated out of the Leinster Championship this year after a final round defeat by Offaly and will play in the Joe McDonagh Cup next year

Davy Fitzgerald has boosted Antrim hurling by confirming that he will stay on as manager for a second year. Fitzgerald initially agreed to a two year term with an option of a third, but after “a very tough year travel wise” with eight hours plus round trips to training from his Sixmilebridge home, he was weighing up his future plans.

Antrim were relegated out of the Leinster Championship this year after a final round defeat by Offaly and will play in the Joe McDonagh Cup next year. But Fitzgerald (54) told Mirror Sport that this played no role in his decision: “There were a few things to think about, the journey being one,” he said.

“I took a while. Then I met the players and had a chat with them and I explained to them just why I needed a few weeks after the Offaly game. I had an individual meeting with every one of them. I sat down and I explained everything to them. It was very funny. There were reports that I had gone back and I hadn’t even met the players.

“That wasn’t true. I needed to talk to the players and the County Board. I told them exactly my thinking. I told them I was going to commit because I felt it was only fair that I did at least two years. The easy thing was to walk away. I think it’s only fair that I honour my two years no matter what the story is.”

Fitzgerald was adamant from day one that the Antrim job would be no overnight fix.

“I have always said there were a few things for county hurling that we needed to tackle and work out – that we needed to be better at. When you do that sometimes you go a bit backwards before you come forwards but I felt that as the year was going on they were definitely (progressing).

“There is great potential in this bunch. They are a great bunch of guys.”

Fitzgerald said he really appreciated getting calls from some Antrim clubs looking for him to continue.

“Absolutely fantastic,” he continued. “It meant a lot. I have always said, and I said this from day one, that their (Antrim GAA) club structure is really good. Their teams are really well trained and well done. Club wise they will compete with most counties.

“We set out that there were four or five aspects of the play that we had to improve on and make gains on, but that’s not going to happen overnight as the Chairman was well informed before we started last year.

“It was going to take a bit of time to make that progress but I felt as the year was going on we were playing in patches a bit more.

“The most important thing for me is they (Antrim players) have a great attitude and the skill level of the players is really good.

“Listen, I am just looking forward to going back and giving everything I can for 2026.

“You’ll get a few detractors, but in general a lot of the public are very good and it makes the job easier when they give you that support. I really appreciate it. I said at the very start there was going to be no quick fixes.

“Hopefully this year we will be a lot more competitive in certain areas.

“So let’s hope that year two will be good. The players are really good players but we are going to try to bring it to another level, but there will be stiff competition out there, be it Joe McDonagh or in the League.”

He admits that the travel commitments are difficult: “It’s the longest travel by a long shot,” said the Clare All-Ireland winning player and manager.

“Fair play to Darren Gleeson (Fitzgerald’s predecessor as Antrim manager) for doing what he did for so many years.

“He did a great job, number one. He brought em out of Christy Ring to Joe McDonagh – did a really good job. Got ‘em up again.

“But even his travel, and I am probably another half an hour longer than that again, it is tough. But, do you know what, I am going to put it to the back of my mind for the next couple of months and just get on with it.

Fitzgerald says the thing that motivates him is “winning matches,” no matter at what level, be it MacCarthy Cup, McDonagh Cup or elsewhere and that defeat “still hurts.”

“I suppose it’s been that way in Antrim for a few years,” he added. “They’ve had good and bad, but they (losses) hurt.”