Former Mayo football manager Stephen Rochford said he wouldn’t rule out a return to his native county in the future.
Rochford, who is currently a selector under Declan Bonner in Donegal, departed the role after a stint which saw the county lose two All-Ireland finals to Dublin by a single point.
Given that current Mayo boss James Horan is embarking upon a second reign, Rochford said he would never rule out a return.
“Look, as a Mayo person I wouldn’t rule that necessarily out,” he explained. “But I wouldn’t envisage it happening anytime soon.
“It’s not something that’s on my radar in the short or medium term.
“But, look, nobody knows what’s happening or what’s coming around the corner or what things may develop in ten years’ time or something like that.
“The opportunity to represent your club and your county is something that I take very, very personally and strongly.
“I felt very, very honoured to be that person that represented the management. We had a number of very enjoyable days. And we had a number of days where, yeah, it was disappointing in terms of performances and some days just disappointing with the result having gotten so far.
“But that’s sport. That’s why you saw Limerick (hurlers) absolutely overjoyed last year when they came out the right side of a one-point, close game.
“That’s why we’re all involved in sport. To dream of those days and to be involved in those potential days.”
Rochford is currently involved with Ulster champions Donegal, and is relishing the coaching role.
“The position as a coach, it doesn’t have the intensity of the ask as a manager, when you’re dealing with media, the county board, medical teams and players. It’s very distinct and you know very much what the expectations of your role is as the coach. In that, I was very happy to make that.
“Declan [Bonner] presented a very attractive picture and obviously the vision for his team and the potential that he’d seen close-up. He would have known a lot of these players since minor and U21.
“When it’s a team with the quality and potential that Donegal have, that makes that decision a lot clearer.
“I’m really enjoying working with a really energised, ambitious, playing group with a lot of potential there along with a very seasoned and experienced management team.”
The ex-Mayo supremo acknowledged that working with a different county may put him in a strange situation should they come up against his native county this summer.
“I suppose that’s something that you won’t know until it happens,” he said. “I wouldn’t like it to be in the back door because I wouldn’t like to be there in the first place. If it’s in the Super 8s or a more advanced position, so be it, it means both teams are positioning themselves well.
“If that materialises, I won’t have a particular problem with it and certainly would look to embrace the opportunity or challenge that it would present at that time.”
Nonetheless, ahead of the summer, Dublin remain very much the team to beat.
Rochford has come closer than any other manager to toppling the Sky Blues during their current run of four consecutive All-Ireland titles, and feels the gap is closing between Jim Gavin’s side and the chasing pack.
“You have to respect Dublin and the quality they have but you can’t go into your shell about it because they’ll absolutely annihilate you,” he explained. “The same as with a soccer team, possession is nine-tenths of the law. If you don’t go and look to battle for that ball as much as the opposition, you’re going to find yourself on the back foot.
“In any of those championship games we played against Dublin it was always with a view to going out and winning the game.
“I do think the gap is closing on that. Will it be this year? Will it be 2020? Time will tell. I think there’s a number of teams that are certainly closing the gap or have the potential to do that.
“I don’t know who that will be that’s going to be their closest competitor this year but I think that’s what makes the 2019 season fascinating. It’s going to be historic one way or another, it’s going to be a five-in-a-row or it’s going to be the team that dethrones certainly the best team in modern football history.”
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