All too well is the concept of not being a prophet among your own people recognisable here. Whatever working limbs there are here would gladly be sacrificed to be part of a managemnt team at either club or county level. Even outside of my own in the case of the former.
Yet all willing overtures were met with the deaf ear and/or, worse still, patronising excuses. Though as hurtful and disheartening as it can be for me, I would love to be a fly on the wall inside Davy Fitzgerald’s head for a while.
For the man would not be human if some of the sh** spewed about him and his father Pat over the years didn’t get in on him. Not to mention whatever the beef between him and Brian Lohan was.
And, with him seemingly being persona non grata with at least some of his own, it will have been no surprise to see his talents highly sought after by others. Namely Wexford, Waterford and Limerick I. T. up to most recently.
However, I think even the most ardent Davy fan – among which I unashamedly number – would have to admit to being slightly taken aback at the great man’s latest career departure – to the green glens of Antrim. That said, the predictable yet unnecessary chirping from within his own county leaves something of a sour taste. Now, it is unfortunately to be expected that the naysayers and doom mongers will automatically say the mighty man from Sixmilebridge is solely monetarily motivated.
That, to me, is nothing short of utter bovine excrement. Elements will of course pedal the money line to suit the anti-Fitzgerald narrative, but, if that balderdash was to hold water, surely the diminutiave dynamo would have taken one of the other two roles to which he has been extensively linked with since stepped away from Waterford. Not to mention the reality that it’s known for a fact that he turned down expenses from at least one Dublin club – and not one of the so-called ‘Super Clubs’ either – for presenting medals. And before you ask, I know of at least three players from very prominent hurling counties who sent a list of T’s and C’s to at least one club in Kildare before committing to similar ‘Gigs’.
Thus, it is my inclination that Davy’s decision to go for some Northern exposure has more to with the persuasive powers of Antrim Co Board Chairman Seamus McMullen. After all, it’s not all that long ago the same man coaxed Andy McEntee towards the Giants Causeway after my neighbour had initially stated he was taking a break after guiding our own fortunes for a half dozen years.
That said, so impressed was he with the structures McMullen and Co already have in situ – including what are seemingly state of the art facilities at Queens University in Belfast – that the man’s addiction to football eventually won the battle for his willpower and, relatively speaking, the Saffrons have made gradual forward propulsion under his direction.
Swap a football for a sliotar and the similarities between Antrim’s current football and new hurling managers are quite numerous. Born winners, manically obsessive about what they do and possessed of an innate unteachable ability to inspire those around them to feats which would otherwise have been deemed impossible.
For Exhibit A see Andy’s guidance of Ballyboden St Enda’s from relative obscurity to becoming the best club football team in the country. The same could be said of Davy’s first stint in Waterford when he came in with the situation in turmoil following the departure of Justin McCarthy and ended up bringing them all the way to an All Ireland Final. Yes, therein they took a pasting from Kilkenny but the Cats at that stage were more machine than men.
However, some, if not all of his achievements in the wake of same trump it. Obviously, annexation of the MacCarthy Cup with his native county in 2013 sits atop any such amalgam, thereafter he never got the due credit for also garnering a National League title with them in the spring which followed, though many – including this corner – would proclaim his taking of Wexford to a lifting of the Bob O’Keeffe Cup during his spell Slaneyside as equally if not more commendable given the prevailing circumstances in Leinster hurling at the time.
***
Whatever way some might seek to question Davy Fitz’s motives for heading towards the northern stars, it should be equally be acknowledged that it was a ballsy enough move for McMullen and his team to sell their vision to the former goalkeeper to such an extent that he was willing to enter into what will obviously be an enormous commitment.
Having said that, from a certain angle, Antrim wouldn’t have been the most difficult sell, after all, they did claim the scalp of a Wexford side Davy will of course know well and put up respectable displays against their other Leinster SHC opponents as well.
Now consider that it’s not all that long ago that the Meath hurlers engaged in and won some truly epic battles with the Glensmen. But, whereas they not only bounced back from those setbacks but kicked on to another level. As evidenced by their victory against Wexford and creditable efforts against adversaries that, with respect, would be considered to be a level above them.
In fairness, part of the reason for that has to be put down to the vibrance of the club scene up there which – although sparsely populated compared to some other counties – have produced some A-List hurling teams like Dunloy Cuchulainns, Ruairi Og Cushendall and Loughgiel Shamrocks, all of whom have made their mark on the All Ireland Club Championship to varying degrees.
All of which leads one to wonder why, then, there tended to be such a disparity between where hurling in Meath has gone in the interim following those victories compared to where the vanquished have ventured. Is it down to resources, structures and the state of the club game in the county or is it something else at play?
Contrast the impact made by Antrim club and county teams against – with the exception of Kiltale and Trim teams in the last decade or so at Intermediate level – the paltry returns for Meath sides in the similar sphere?
Quite the conundrum but – and this is solely a personal pondering – you do have to wonder is there a lack of ambition somewhere along the line. Simply when it is recalled that Seoirse Bulfin and Martin O’Halloran both vacated their roles within Meath hurling having been hugely successful therein.
By way of an official explanation, crickets chirping was about the only thing which could be heard. While what the exact number of weeks since Meath were eliminated from the Joe McDonagh Cup is unknown, the lack of conjecture surrounding the appointment of a successor to Steven Clynch is deafening. In contrast, there’s too much gab going on about the football job, and that’s equally unhelpful.
It’s just irksome that, if Meath consider themselves on a par with Antrim in the hurling world, which they at the very least should, would they have had the courage and/or foresight to even approach somebody of the ilk of Davy Fitzgerald about taking the Meath job? Is that a pig after flying by my window?
Kudos to Davy and Antrim. They will go far together.
Leave a Reply