Nadine Doherty: Eamonn Murray return as Meath ladies manager would not be a surprise

In spite of a poor run of form, the timing of the decision by Davy Nelson and his management team to step away from their roles with the Meath ladies senior football team was a shock to some, with former Donegal star Nadine Doherty wondering if the county could now turn to former manager Eamonn Murray.

Nelson, who succeeded back-to-back All-Ireland-winning Murray in the post late last year, has presided over a patchy campaign thus far with just one league win in seven and a Leinster final loss to Dublin.

Meath begin their quest for a hat-trick of All-Ireland crowns against Waterford on 25 June.

Speaking on 2fm's Game On, the news of Nelson's departure did not come as a major shock to Doherty.

"It's very rare for a manager to step away mid-season but it's not a surprise given the results and the current form of the team," she said.

"We saw earlier this year what happened in Donegal with the men's team, Paddy Carr steeped away a few weeks before the Ulster championship. It seemed that the players played a part in his departure.

"In this case I'd be a bit surprised that conversations with an alternative management haven't already taken place informally. It's rare for a whole management team to step away mid-season without an alternative."

And while Doherty accepted that Nelson did try to put things right during his eight-month reign, Meath's lack of energy was all too apparent in their displays.

"The short time that he was there and in the spotlight he always seemed to be a positive guy, was very honest in interviews and wasn't afriad to highlight where things have gone wrong.

"He put a positive spin on how Meath could make it right but his time had run out. In terms of the exact reasons we might find out in the next week or two.