In the first race at Tipperary today (Friday), talented 5lb claiming rider Charlie O’Dwyer rode a horse for James Nash called COULDNTMAKEITUP and one would venture plenty of those with an interest in, passion for or involvement with Meath GAA would’ve had a punt thereon. Alas, like the rest of what you will read hereafter, the ship didn’t so much sail as sink.
Just because you know turbulence is afoot doesn’t mean your gut will be able to take the punch any better when it does land. Hence why Meath folk will once again be lamenting that you couldn’t make it up. Another of our brightest stars pilfered from under our noses. Following Cian McBride, Conor Nash, Vikki Wall and Orlagh Lally. Only once in all those cases has there been a positive outcome from a local perspective.
That Duleek/Bellewstown dynamo Eamonn Armstrong attracted the prying tentacles of AFL outfit St Kilda is no shock. The pacy and versatile performer has been the brightest individual star to emerge in the Royal County since the Minor side which bequeathed both McBride and Mat Costello. Though you do have to wonder is there a mole with the county given the alacrity with which the Aussie scouts snatch up green and gold talent.
Yes I can hear you saying Kerry have lost Cillian Burke and Mayo are down Oisin Mullen, but both those counties have enough elite gifted footballers to fill a 20ft cattle trailer. True also that Stephen Cluxton, Mick Fitzsimons, Ciaran Kilkenny, Brian Howard and Paul Mannion could all the evacuees and Dessie Farrell’s charges would still win the Leinster SFC pulling up. Meath have no such luxury. If anything were to one or all of Adam O’Neill, Donal Keogan, Ronan Jones, Eoghan Frayne or Mat Costello, we would be up sh*t creek without a paddle and would do well to beat the Carlows or Wicklows of this world.
Look, I do not in the slightest begrudge Eamonn Armstrong or anybody else the chance to have a go at professional sport. Truth be told, if I could get where I want to be in a sporting sense, I might never tap a keyboard again. Or, from a professional perspective, if the opportunity to get the back page where one has always dreamt of presented itself, I wouldn’t care if I never got paid a cent ever again.
So good luck Eamonn. I’ve no doubt you have the physical attributes and footballing nous to represent his club, county and country with distinction. My crestfallen upset bordering on anger stems from the fact that nothing ever seems to be done to try and persuade our best young players to stay at home.
Until there’s nothing left of me but a bucket of ashes, nobody will change my view that GAA at senior inter county level should be professional. It is in all but name. All these “these lads all have to go to work in the morning” are selling our top, elite footballers and hurlers short. For that reason, you wouldn’t begrudge any player, like the few Meath stars listed above for example, who are afforded the opportunity to engage in sport professionally and be rewarded accordingly.
When news broke about the adventure that awaits Eamonn, I saw somebody say online ‘Sure you can’t blame the lad, he’s not from a professional county’. I understood. It’s hardly coincidence that you don’t see top players in good counties going.
David Clifford never went, Ciaran Kilkenny didn’t stay long, Cillian McDaid came home, ditto Conor Glass. Ciaran Byrne came back when Louth began showing signs of life. Funny how all of the above counties are now the elite, isn’t it?
Though not as laughable as the notion of Pat Gilroy resigning whatever cushy number role he had in Croke Park because, wait for it, things have “Become too money focussed”! I know, if you told it to an ass he’d kick ya. This from a man who managed the best financed, best resourced county in the country in both codes.
Yes, in both cases, he had a supremely talented bunch of players to work with. But ask yourself, how does that all come about? Because they invest financially to put player development structures and infrastructure in place so as to take an approach that is professional in all but name. But now Pat is trying to pull the ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ mallarky.
For clarity, however, in no way am I knocking Dublin for the processes they employ. We can but enviously look on. Take Offaly as another example. A former player – Michael Duignan – has the cajones to step up and take on the role of Co Board Chairman. Thereafter leading nothing short of a revolution.
Bringing in people such as Declan Kelly and Mickey Harte on the football side and Leo O’Connor and Johnny Murray in hurling. As well as getting Shane Lowry involved from a sponsorship perspective.
Not only that, but when the hideous five year rule meant Duignan had to recently vacate the hotseat, the Brains Trust in the Faithful County had somebody of equal if not greater leadership acumen to take over in former TD, Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and Construction Industry Federation (CIF) leader Tom Parlon primed to take over.
In contrast, just consider the following. Meath chiefs baulked at the opportunity to sell Pairc Tailteann and develop Dunganny into something proper at the height of the Celtic Tiger era.
Not only that but when the floodlights were taken down in the Pairc, they were merely dumped in a heap beside the disabled viewing facilities. Surely they could have been sold to a club who would have gleefully accepted?
That is only a thought that came to mind looking at them rusting away down under my perch one day.
However, what I cannot fathom is that the considerable sum of money allocated to Meath GAA in the latest round of sports grant funding recently released is being put towards upgrading floodlights in Dunganny rather than making a start at the redevelopment of Pairc Tailteann.
You make your own bed, you lie in it. We can only hope that it will indeed by a wonderful world someday again when Mr Armstrong has the green (and gold) flag wrapped around him once again.
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