The legendary Royal-turned-TV pundit was originally appointed for a two-year term with the option of a third pending a review, and the review committee had been expected to make its recommendation to the Meath GAA executive this evening.
However, a brief holding statement released late tonight merely stated that the management committee met this evening “to discuss the ongoing scheduled review of the senior football management. This review remains ongoing and will be concluded in advance of the county committee meeting on Tuesday, August 27.”
O’Rourke’s future has been in the spotlight following a deflating SFC campaign which saw Meath lose four of their five encounters, their only success coming against Longford in a Leinster first round clash.
They subsequently succumbed to Dublin by 16 points and then lost all three All-Ireland group games (to Louth, Kerry and Monaghan) by a cumulative 28 points.
Meath had been demoted to the Tailteann Cup during O’Rourke’s maiden campaign, on foot of a poor league campaign in Division 2 followed by a surprise provincial defeat to Offaly. But they bounced back to claim Tailteann glory, thereby safeguarding their place in this year’s Sam Maguire race.
They finished fifth in Division 2 last spring but, if anything, the results graph took a further downward turn come championship. A late fightback against Monaghan ultimately proved in vain but, following that three-point defeat in June, the two-time All-Ireland medallist was bullish on his intentions to continue the fight.
“I’d be happy to stay with them. They are a great group of players who are very committed and dedicated. All they need is time and patience and kindness,” he told reporters.
“I think it’s going to take several years to build a team here. It might take five years and I will go to the county board and ask them to give me five years as a minimum thing because I think it’s going to take, certainly, two or three years.
“We will be better next year,” he predicted, “we will be in contention for promotion from the division and by the following year we will be in contention with the big teams.”
However, ahead of tonight’s meeting, the Meath Chronicle reported that selectors Barry Callaghan and Stephen Bray were understood to have stepped away from their roles due to work commitments, while the review committee had also studied the response from a players’ survey.
