Dunne makes a clean break as three opt out of Offaly senior football panel

NIGEL Dunne has drawn a line through his Offaly senior football career, opting out of the panel ahead of the Tailteann Cup.

He is one of three players to withdraw from the panel in the past couple of weeks but there is none of the controversy or clouds that would normally surround this type of activity.

Durrow duo Kevin McDermott and Jack O'Brien have also withdrawn but both were well down the pecking order and were unlikely to feature in the second tier competition – the draw for the Tailteann Cup is being made on Wednesday afternoon.

Both McDermott and O'Brien got plenty of game time in 2024 but didn't feature at all in the 2025 National Football League.

The decision of Dunne to withdraw would normally be a talking point but not in this case as the veteran Shamrocks attacker has made a very clean break, explaining his decision clearly and departing with dignity.

Dunne has made 91 league and championship appearances for Offaly senior footballers since making his debut in 2010 and he was very much in the plans of joint managers Declan Kelly and Mickey Harte early on in the successful National Football League Division 3 campaign this season.

He came on as a sub in six of the seven group games, scoring against Sligo, Antrim, Leitrim and Clare. With a lot of young players on the squad and the 2021 All-Ireland U20 football winners coming good, Dunne's experience was an asset and he did well in some of the early league games, particularly Antrim when he scored three points.

However, since then it was clear that he was becoming a bit player and he didn't feature at all in the Division 3 league final win over Kildare and the narrow championship defeat by Meath. In both those games, Offaly went into the red late on and there has been plenty of comment on their sparse use of subs.

The fact that Dunne wasn't thrown in during either game was telling and unusually, he has admitted that management were right not to bring him on, stating that he was actually “embarrassed” to be on the match day 26.

He added that he shouldn't be taking a young lad's place on the panel because of his long service and has decided to walk away. He has been battling an ankle injury for some time, this curtailed his ability to train and to recover from hard session and games and it meant that his fitness levels fell behind many of the panel members. His old footballing intelligence was evident but with the new rules, he was at a different pace than many of the younger players and this became clear as championship neared. At 35 years of age, there would be a natural falling off anyway and speculation last week that Dunne was leaving the panel was confirmed by the player on Monday.

He has left with his head held high and while he didn't see out the full year, he goes on his own terms. That is not something that happens every player – controversy over the omission this year of one of Offaly's best forwards in the modern era, Anton Sullivan only abated because of Offaly's promotion run and the outstanding form of some of the younger players. Another veteran player, defender Declan Hogan was also off the panel this year. Cappincur's Eoin Carroll left himself at the end of 2024, acknowledging that he could no longer do the training that was required while Edenderry forward Cian Farrell withdrew himself early this year – Farrell is different than Sullivan and Hogan is that he is only in his mid 20s.

Players leaving panels in mid season is always questionable and rarely looks good. Some times it highlights underlying problems and dissatisfaction with the set up while it also places a scrutiny on the player, especially if he is close to the team and leaves in protest at not making a lineup or panel, but that is all absent in the case of Nigel Dunne – and McDermott and O'Brien, to a slightly lesser extent as their departure is not indicative of any widespread malaise.

There has been the usual speculation about players heading off to America but that is unlikely to happen as Offaly bid to win the Tailteann Cup and take another important step forward. Their track record in second tier competitions has been dreadful and hit a nadir last year with shocking defeats by London and Limerick. The whole mood in the camp is much more upbeat this year, the performances way better and Offaly have returned to hard training since the loss to Meath, playing Cavan in two challenge games. They are certainly targeting the Tailteann Cup but we won't know what their attitude is until the first game.

Harte and Kelly are almost certain to be reappointed as joint managers next year and any player heading to America now would be shooting themselves in the foot – that would be a deal breaker and management would have a duty not to bring them back in next year.

With injured Tullamore duo Diarmuid Egan and Cillian Bourke back training, they will come into the equation in the Tailteann Cup and Dunne has said he is relieved with his decision.

Dunne has also been very clever and magnanimous in the way he has left. He has went out of his way to make it clear that he is not leaving in protest at not coming on against Kildare or Meath and instead wants to clear the way for a young player to take his place on the 26. Dunne is a full time coach with the Offaly GAA County Board where he is very involved in the running of county development squads while he is also a coach with Offaly minor footballers – the message he sent out and the example he sets to young players was very important and he has handled it right.

He has made a great contribution to Offaly football for several years. It was clear from a young age that Dunne had loads of talent and was an Offaly senior footballer in the making – this reporter first saw him at U12 level for Shamrocks in Ballycommon at the end of the 1990s and he was outstanding that day.

He played minor and U21 football for Offaly, two years in each grade, and was on the team that lost to Meath in the 2006 Leinster minor final. He was a prolific scorer from play and frees, a very skilful player with composure and the ability to hold onto the ball, to play himself out of tight corners.

He would have made the century of appearances for Offaly senior footballers only for opting out after the 2019 season, only coming back for the late Liam Kearns in 2023.

He was a central figure in one of Offaly football's craziest days ever, a calamitous Leinster championship defeat by Wicklow in Portlaoise in 2018. With manager Stephen Wallace suspended for an incident at a club game in his native Kerry and watching from the stand, Offaly were shocking in a 1-20 to 1-15 defeat. Dunne was hauled ashore during the first half – he certainly wasn't the worse Offaly player on the field that day – and came back on during the second half, missing a crucial penalty that may have changed the game.

Speculation had spread like wildfire that Dunne had to be stopped from leaving the ground after being taken off but he later stated that he had not left the ground, revealing that he had just went to the rear of the stand to gather his thoughts and regain his composure.

He played in two National Football League games in 2019 but his next game was a fine win over Antrim in January 2023. Dunne's recall by Liam Kearns was a surprise as it looked like his county career was over but ironically, he produced some of his best county football in 2023 and 2024.

Now more aware of his limitations, he did not hold up the ball as much, releasing it quicker and he was very effective in the Offaly attack. He was also content to play whatever role the manager, Liam Kearns, Martin Murphy (the interim replacement after Kearns' very sad sudden death), Declan Kelly and finally Kelly and Mickey Harte, earmarked for him – whether that was starting games and coming off, coming on, or more rarely, going the full distance.

He was good with younger lads, had some very good games in 2023 and 2024 and continued to supply regular scores.

Dunne has been Shamrocks' star player for most of his career. His biggest regret for the club has been the 2007 Senior Football Championship final defeat by Tullamore. Still a minor that year, Dunne and Westmeath import PJ Ward ran riot in the first half as Shamrocks grabbed controlled of the game and looked set for a historic first ever senior football title – they both scored freely in that first half, though Shamocks had opportunities to go for goals, but Tullamore, with Gearoid O'Grady leading the charge up front, staged a terrific second half revival to break their hearts.

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Shamrocks were relegated to senior B football within a couple of years and stayed there until finally getting back up in 2018. Dunne was outstanding that year and was crowned as senior “B” footballer of the year. Shamrocks have managed to survive at senior level since and reached the semi-final last year where Ferbane beat them – they beat Ferbane and Edenderry in a group where every team qualified out of irrespective of results. Dunne has continued to play at a high level for them, he was excellent last year and will be a key figure this year as they bid to continue their upward trajectory.

He is also likely to pursue managerial ambitions and is clearly moving in that direction. He has previously been on the management with Erin Rovers, the home club of his father, also Nigel, and his ambitions will grow further once he draws a curtain on his club career in the next few years.