Dr. Paul Rouse joined OTB AM this week to reflect on a turbulent few weeks which saw him appointed as Offaly Senior Football manager and lead his side to a win over Antrim in the All-Ireland qualifiers. 

Rouse was a surprise selection to take charge of the side after Stephen Wallace was dismissed by the county board and the academic admitted he's learning as he goes. 

"It's entirely different in that there's a huge team to manage, the wider management team, strength and conditioning, nutrition, physio, dealing with the County Board, dealing with the media - dealing with everything - it's a big undertaking but I'm fairly organised, so that, kind of, helps."

"I've made loads of mistakes - absolutely loads of mistakes since I started but I'm finding out as I go along," he told Ger.

"There's no sense that anybody here has any monopoly on how to do this and who's right and who's wrong - I have my opinions on that and I'm entitled to be wrong about things as anybody else and I'm fairly good at that too!

"I can only say it as honestly as I see it and it comes down to whether you want to be in a room or not and whether you want to be on a field or not and if you really want to be there and you're really giving to do something and you really want to improve, well then, why would you be afraid of it?  

"What is there really to be afraid of? And is there not meant to be joy in this? We'll all not be doing any of this soon enough and we'll all want it back when it's gone. And if that's the principle that you operate on - whether it's a club team or a county team - then is it not transferable?" he added.

Offaly will take on Clare in Round 2 of the All-Ireland qualifiers.