COLM O’ROURKE HAS stepped down from his post as manager of two-in-a-row Meath senior football champions Simonstown Gaels.
In October 2016, the RTÉ pundit guided his side to a first-ever Meath SFC title, comfortably beating Donaghmore-Ashbourne in Navan.
He enjoyed another good championship run last year as they retained the Keegan Cup and recorded their first Leinster club SFC win over Wexford’s Starlights before exiting at the hand of St Loman’s of Westmeath.
His son and former Meath star, Shane, was central throughout his father’s tenure, lining out in midfield as they ran to glory.
O’Rourke announced at last night’s Annual General Meeting that he would vacate the role, with Simonstown releasing a statement this evening.
It reads:
“Colm O’Rourke Simonstown Senior Manager has stepped down as manager of the club senior team. O’Rourke has decided to take a break from management after the successive Keegan Cups victories of 2016 and 2017.
“O’Rourke has been an instrumental figure in Simonstown over the past 20 years helping with juvenile teams and also being the senior manager for three different spells.
“O’Rourke will be forever remembered as the first manager to bring the Keegan Cup up Flowerhill. His influence will be missed but he has assured us that he will remain as an interested supporter of the Senior team.
“Everyone in Simonstown would like to thank O’Rourke for his endeavor over the past few years.”
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