Meath hurling boss Nick Fitzgerald has stepped away from his role, citing the work-life balance as the reason for his surprise departure.

The Royal County won their second Christy Ring Cup in the space of four seasons earlier this year, beating Down very impressively back in June on a 4-19 to 2-15 scoreline.

The Waterford native had two years in charge of the county, but in his statement released by Meath GAA today, he said he could not accept the offer of another year in charge.

"This morning, I informed the players of my intention to step down as the Manager of the Meath Senior Hurling Team.

"Having completed two years, I am unable to accept the offer from the Meath County Committee to extend my term as Manager.

"Finding the right balance with my business, home life, and the commitment required to manage the Meath Senior Hurling Team has been difficult as well as being thoroughly enjoyable."

Kildalkey clubman Fitzgerald also added that travel and time commitments with his work were a key reason behind his decision to leave.

Please see the statement from Nick Fitzgerald, 2018/2019 Meath Senior Hurling Manager at the following link:https://t.co/DfvsqY3KGc

— Meath GAA (@MeathGAA) August 20, 2019

"Moving forward I have a business that continues to thrive outside of Ireland and Britain as well as other parts of Europe.

"The build-up of the travel time involved with this continues to grow and these additional time pressures will see me out of the country more often.

"When you have players giving the total commitment you need to match or indeed exceed that level, and this is where I would fail in 2020 if I continued as Manager."

In Fitzgerald's first year in charge, Meath suffered relegation from the Joe McDonagh Cup after they lost all five of their games in the competition.

That followed their 2016 Christy Ring Cup success after a shock replay win over Antrim in Croke Park.

Meath will again play in the Joe McDonagh Cup next year after their Christy Ring Cup success two months ago.