Former Laois senior football manager joins coaching ticket in Offaly club

Former Laois senior football manager Mick Lillis will be dipping his toes into a new challenge this year after being officially ratified as coach of Offaly senior club football side - Shamrocks.

Lillis has a decorated managerial career having not only trained the Laois seniors but St Laurences in Kildare, Palatine in Carlow and his native Cooraclare in County Clare winning County titles in both Kildare and Carlow not to mention numerous championships as a player with Portlaoise. Lillis also guided Portlaoise to County success after he retired.

For the past couple of years he had been at the helm in Ballylinan but will now come in on the coaching ticket of new Shamrocks manager Brian Kelly.

Kelly and Lillis have worked together at Palatine where they were successful in winning a County title while Kelly is also a former Carlow Captain and well known figure in Carlow GAA circles.

Father of Laois senior footballer, Kieran, Mick Lillis is a hugely experienced coach and the Offaly club will be hoping that his influence can help them push on from their quarter final appearance in 2021 where they were defeated by championship finalists Rhode.

2021 saw them draw with eventual County champions Tullamore in the opening round before losing out by two points to Edenderry. They beat Bracknagh in their last group game to set up that quarter final clash with Rhode.

Shamrocks is the home club of former Offaly forward Nigel Dunne while they also had three players on the victorious Offaly U20 All Ireland winning team with goalkeeper Sean O'Toole, Captain Kieran Dolan and the GAA U20 player of the year Jack Bryant.