The GAA Social: 'He may have other ambitions in life' - Rogers unsure about Meenagh's Derry future
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Rogers says "everybody would be happy" to have Meenagh and his management team back in 2024
Derry midfielder Brendan Rogers admits he is not sure if the county's interim senior football manager Ciaran Meenagh will remain in charge in 2024.
Derry's season came to an end on Sunday with defeat by Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park.
Meenagh was appointed interim boss until the end of the 2023 season after replacing Rory Gallagher in May.
"I just don't know, there's a lot that goes on in Gaelic football," Rogers told The GAA Social podcast.
Following Gallagher's departure, Meenagh led Derry to the successful defence of their Ulster title with victory over Armagh in a dramatic penalty shootout in the final at Clones.
Meenagh then guided the Oak Leafers to top spot in the All-Ireland round-robin stage and a win over Cork in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Meenagh has been involved with the Derry senior footballers for five years, and while Rogers says "everybody would be happy to have the management team back next year", he is aware that the demands of senior inter-county jobs make it a difficult thing for anyone to commit to.
Speaking to Thomas Niblock and Oisin McConville, Rogers added: "People maybe naively think 'ah it's just a few nights a week training, but when you're a manager, as you rightly know now Oisin [as Wicklow manager], it's the amount of video work and calls and things that go on behind the scenes.
"There's a lot of work that goes on. If you have a family, you're trying to see your kids play football, hurling, camogie, whatever it may be.
"But you're trying to put in the work. A lot of them have full-time jobs, Ciaran has a job as a teacher as well so there's a lot of time commitment.
"He's been there for five years, involved with the Derry team, so I can't say what he will do, but he may have other ambitions in life. His kids are at a good age now where they're playing a lot of sport."
McQuillan 'not the difference'
Rogers said he didn't think Joe McQuillan calling a foul against Gareth McKinless on Stephen O'Brien was "game deciding"
While Derry faded in the second half of last year's All-Ireland semi-final loss to Galway, the Ulster champions led holders Kerry in the 65th minute of Sunday's contest, eventually succumbing to the Kingdom's surge in the closing minutes.
On Monday's GAA Social Extra, Oisin McConville said Derry were the victims of a "definitively wrong" refereeing call by Joe McQuillan, who adjudged that Kerry substitute Stephen O'Brien had been fouled by Gareth McKinless in the 65th minute.
While some have viewed that decision as a key momentum shifter late in the game, Rogers said he didn't think McQuillan "was the difference in the game".
"We had a lot in our control. There's a lot going on in those games. For Joe to be calling everything 100% perfectly, that's not human.
"I don't look at Joe's performance as having any set in stone bearing in the game. I still think we had more than enough chances but just didn't take them."
The Slaughtneil club-man added: "It's the angle. The angle Joe's seeing is different to what everyone else is seeing.
"You could look at it and go 'ah, he never touched him' depending on your seat but from Joe's perspective he could've said 'yeah that's what it looked like' so he can only answer that question.
"At the time, it's devastating but you're trying to get the next score and move on. The game wasn't out of sight at that point, we were still in the mix, so to say it was game deciding is an easy answer for a lot of people but it's just not the case I don't think."