Nugent “unsure” whether McManus will return to county colours

By Shaun Casey

FORMER Antrim hurler and new Down camogie boss Domhnall Nugent is unsure if we’ll see a Michael Murphy-like retirement U-turn from his ex-county teammate Neil McManus, although he has no doubt the ace forward could still perform at the highest level.

The Cushendall attacker was outstanding in his club colours last weekend, although the Antrim champions surrendered their Ulster title and crashed out of the competition after a classic encounter with Sleacht Néill.

McManus, who hung up the hurl at the end Antrim’s 2023 championship campaign, delivered an absolute masterclass and finished the game with 3-9, including the outstanding, long-range goal that brought the game to extra-time.

He has been included in Davy Fitzgerald’s management ticket as a Performance Coach, with the former Clare goalkeeper taking over the reigns from Darren Gleeson back in early August.

Fitzgerald, working with RTÉ, was a close viewer of Saturday’s club action and witnessed McManus’ performance for himself.

“Neil would be one of my best friends and I spend a lot of time with him,” said Nugent, who has been appointed as the new Down camogie manager.

“Does he have the ability (to play inter-county)? Absolutely. He’s probably one of the best, if not the best, hurler to ever come out of Antrim. What he does for people and what he has done even for me has been unbelievable.

“The impact that he makes on people’s lives outside of hurling is incredible. Do I think he’ll go back? I’m not sure. Neil would be a stubborn enough character, and I know he’s doing a lot of work. We saw the impact he made around the country last year in terms of his analysis on RTÉ and the BBC. He was unbelievable at it, and he was a breath of fresh air.

“I know he’s stepping into different roles especially around leadership and he’s a very good public speaker and different things like that, but I don’t know.

“Would Antrim be better with him? Absolutely. But Neil will probably just do what’s best for Neil and what that looks like, I don’t know.”