No doubt there will be players who weren’t part of the Meath senior football panel this season will have caught the eye of Colm O’Rourke and his fellow mentors thus far in the local club championships and – if they aren’t called in directly – they will surely be aiming to utilise the Regional Championships – presuming they are run off again – to state their cases for the step up to the highest level.
However, before even thinking about the composition of his playing personnel, the Royal County boss has what is probably an unexpected issue to deal with owing to the presence of A. N. Other in two slots in his backroom team with the departures of Paul Garrigan and Eugene Eivers.
Both men came into the limelight for their work with the county lady footballers and were deservedly lauded for the immense contributions they made towards the Kepak-clad warriors’ meteoric rise within the game.
So much so that following Eamonn Murray’s departure at the end of the 2022 season, the then newly appointed men’s manager quickly enlisted their services.
Indeed, so sought after were they that when Davy Nelson stood down from his role with the two-time All Ireland winners, Paul and Eugene double-jobbed for a while during the summer when they stepped back into their former roles as part of Jenny Rispin’s interim management team.
Garrigan’s loss, in particular, will be a huge one to Colm et al. The longer their season went on this season, the more pronounced and recognisable the intricate defencive structure which was the bedrock of the success garnared with the girls.
Though it must be said, any of us lucky enough to have lived through the first Boylan era could easily identify the swarm defending and ferocious tackling which were of crucial importance too. Particularly in the Tailteann Cup final against Down.
This weekend’s developments do, however, prompt two questions which will require fairly quick answering – who might the men’s management bring in to fill the vacancies, and will the two departed coaches take up new roles?
In the most Irish thing ever, let’s deal with the second half of that first. I have no evidence to back up the following, but, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if they were to return to the ladies football setup.
Of greatest importance and reassurance though was the nugget contained in the last line of the Meath Co Board statement – that Paul will be continuing in his role as director of the county Academy.
Mind you, equally as surprising and disappointing as the two coaches leaving Colm’s entourage is the fact that there is a vacancy over the county ladies senior team. Unless Jenny Rispin indicated that she didn’t want to continue in the role, surely the obvious thing to do was for Meath LGFA to give the Summerhill lady the role on a full time basis.
If, in fact, the former corner forward is interested in going again and the Board are just opening up a process to allow others apply for what’s officially a vacancy and thereafter hold interviews etc, then the move is wholly understandable.
However, if it transpires to be the case that Jenny has already declined the opportunity to continue in the position, one wonders do the Brains Trust have a Plan B. I have absolute surity about who deserves a crack at it should they be willing and able to take on the job but between prior experience of how these things work and extremely mixed feelings because of same, I’ll keep my powder dry.
On the men’s side, with regard to the Strength And Conditioning spot vacated by Eugene Eivers, former St Colmcille’s and Meath footballer and Leinster, Munster and Ireland rugby player Niall Ronan would be my first port of call.
Or if the former midfielder and back row forward is a non runner, O’Rourke could certainly do far worse than at least canvas his Simonstown Gaels comrade Colm Brady to come aboard. 1996 All Ireland winner Brady has had a couple of stints in the Meath senior dugout in the past and would in fact be uniquely placed to combine the roles of S & C and what will be most likely termed skills coach.
Should neither of those options be on the table, Sean Kelly or Sean Barry would be entitled to come into consideration for the latter vacancy. Dunderry’s Kelly is a bit like Ruby Walsh in his pomp – in that everybody would love to be able to avail of his services.
He’s currently part of Jody Devine’s management team at St Colmcille’s and may well be slated to work with some of the county underage sides in 2024.
Meanwhile, Sean Barry – who ironically worked alongside Kelly in numerous roles at club and county level for the last two decades – was in 2023 sought after by erstwhile Tipperary football messiah David Power.
Nothing or nobody will alter my vehement abhorrance of the split season, but at least seeing how the filling of these roles plays out will surely kill a few weeks!
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