26-05-2025
Fitzgerald calls for time and hits back at McNaughton
Antrim boss Davy Fitzgerald has said he needs time before making a decision on his future after his side exited the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship. The Saffrons' three-year stint in Leinster came to an end with a 3-15 to 1-16 defeat by Offaly in Tullamore on Sunday. Fitzgerald agreed to a two-year term when he replaced Darren Gleeson ahead of the 2025 season, but admitted he will not rush into a decision before committing to leading Antrim through their return to the second-tier Joe McDonagh Cup. "I think I need a bit of time," Fitzgerald told RTE. "I finished with Waterford last year, and I've said this a thousand times. I finished and I was done. I knew in my time in Waterford, I was struggling at the end of it."Fitzgerald previously admitted he is "struggling" with the travel that has come with the Antrim job. The 53-year-old lives in Sixmilebridge in Clare, a four-hour drive from Antrim's training base in Dunsilly. "I want a bit of time to enjoy time with my family and that," he added. "As I said last year...I love my hurling and I'll always love it."And no matter what the story is, we'll see what's ahead."Fitzgerald also said he thought Terence McNaughton "had a bit more class" while responding to comments made by the former Antrim player and manager in the build-up to the Offaly game. In an interview with the Irish Independent, McNaughton accused Fitzgerald of "throwing players under the bus" while criticising the former Clare boss' "stupid" interviews."He's entitled to his opinion. He was in management himself. Maybe he didn't have a great record in that," said Fitzgerald. "I thought he'd show a bit more class than that."
