International Rules: Peter McGrath yesterday emerged as the surprise choice to take over as Ireland's new International Rules manager. Although his credentials are strong as the man who took Down to two All-Ireland titles in the early 1990s, McGrath hasn't been involved at intercounty level for the past two years and his name hadn't been mentioned in dispatches until news of his appointment leaked out yesterday.

The name most associated with the post had been that of Mick O'Dwyer, the veteran Laois manager who has the best cv in football history between the eight All-Irelands to which he led Kerry and the provincial breakthroughs of both Kildare and Laois.

"To be honest I wouldn't be surprised at anything that would happen you dealing with Croke Park," was O'Dwyer's disappointed response to yesterday's news.

"I'm not going to get it and that's that. But it doesn't bother me at all. I've a job to do here in Laois and I'm enjoying every minute of it."

"Micko was offered a role as selector and assistant manager," said GAA president Seán Kelly, "and that in two years he could take over as manager provided he was no longer involved in intercounty management."

"They rang me two days ago (Sunday) and asked would I like to be assistant manager with Pete McGrath from Down," said O'Dwyer yesterday. He wasn't placated by the offer of the job in two years. "The manager's appointed for two years and the next one won't be for another two years. That's ridiculous talk. Sure the next president will probably do that. Anyway, there's never been an assistant manager appointed. I was told there would be a need for continuity, but sure McGrath hasn't been involved before. He didn't have continuity."

This isn't the first time O'Dwyer has been passed over for the job. Back in 1986 when the second series was played in Australia, there was unhappiness in Kerry that O'Dwyer was overlooked in favour of his old rival Kevin Heffernan - an appointment that led to some Kerry players declining to travel.

"I would like to have managed the team. Anyone would like to manage Ireland. I'm 32 years in management and was never even asked before. This was the first time I'd been approached. Look, McGrath's well able to do it on his own and will do a good job."

O'Dwyer's links with Australia extend back for nearly 35 years and sources in Laois say there was no mistaking his enthusiasm for the position.

"I have been involved with Australia over a long period both as a player when Kerry went there in 1970 and then as a manager when we went again. In Adelaide the team played Australian Rules for half an hour and Gaelic football for the other half hour, so I've had a big involvement with it."

According to Kelly, the intensity of the international series now requires the full attention of a manager over the summer and that it was on that basis that O'Dwyer had been asked to free himself of intercounty commitments before taking the job. This rows back on the precedent of John O'Keeffe, who was Kerry trainer in both of his management years, including 2002 when Kerry reached the All-Ireland final.

"I would have had no problem," said O'Dwyer. "If John O'Keeffe could do it I could. I'm based nearer Dublin. I don't know how long it would have taken to prepare the team because no one mentioned it to me at any stage, but I'm sure it would have been around two months."

McGrath's backroom team for the series next autumn, with Tests on October 17th and 24th, is John O'Leary, Larry Tompkins and John Tobin. O'Leary is currently manager of the Dublin women's team and had previous experience in charge of Wicklow and as a selector in Dublin with Tom Carr.

He is best known for his long and distinguished intercounty playing career, which stretched from 1981-97 during which period he won two All-Irelands, captaining Dublin to the 1995 title. As a player he also captained Ireland in the successful 1986 series in Australia. Tompkins is another All-Ireland winning captain, leading Cork to the 1990 championship, who played for Ireland in the 1987 International Rules series. More recently he has managed the Cork footballers to two Munster titles before stepping down last year.

Former Galway footballer and manager Tobin is the selector with most experience of the international game. He has been involved with the under-17 series as well as being the runner for Colm O'Rourke's management, which won both series in which it was involved in 1998 and '99. He also coached Roscommon to the 2001 Connacht title.

McGrath's runner (the link between the players and the sideline but also a team adviser) will be former Footballer of the Year Mickey Linden.