Veteran Faithful star says Tyrone legend’s involvement ‘will light a fire under everybody straight away’
Offaly veteran Nigel Dunne
Offaly veteran Nigel Dunne insists that the addition of Mickey Harte as joint-manager of the Faithful footballers for 2025 will “light a fire under everybody straight away”.
The shock news that Harte, a three-time All-Ireland SFC-winning manager with his native Tyrone, would join forces with Declan Kelly was “a welcome bolt from the blue” and Dunne is adamant that it has already had a positive effect.
“It has been a mad few hours since the appointment of Mickey, there’s been an unbelievable buzz, it’s actually ridiculous,” Dunne told OTB AM.
Offaly veteran Nigel Dunne
“We’re a GAA-mad county at the best of times but now it’s through the roof. A bolt from the blue for everyone but a welcome bolt from the blue.
“What it’s going to do and what we badly need as a footballing county, it’s going to light a fire under everybody straight away. Mickey is a hall of famer, you can’t get a bigger name in GAA really and he’s in now.
“Straight away you’re going to have 100pc buy-in from every player in the county, every player is going to be dying to be in there and be around greatness as such.
“Without him doing anything and just being appointed, I think it’s going to add a lot to the Offaly senior footballers for next year.”
As regards the timing of the announcement that Harte was back in county management six weeks after relinquishing the Derry reins following one season at the helm, Dunne and his team-mates found out just minutes before everyone else.
“I was part of the leadership group with Offaly and we were told to go on a meeting at 5.15, that there was an urgent update coming in the next few minutes so I only knew about ten minutes before everybody else,” Dunne added.
