It’s that time of year when – if arrangements aren’t carried over from last season – teams are selecting and announcing captains and vice captains for what they hope will be long and successful campaigns.
There are some players who, their captaincy candidacy stands out like a lighthouse. With the result that their accession to the role is not only blindingly obvious, but the right thing to do.
Then, the flip side to that coin is when managers take a punt on somebody in whom they believe given the leading role will be the making thereof.
There has perhaps never been a better example of the latter theory than Graham Geraghty being bestowed with the honour of leading Meath in 1999.
There were people who thought Sean (Boylan) was daft giving the great man the hypothetical armband. He didn’t get many decisions wrong over the years and it turned out to be his career best season in a Royal County jersey.
Bottom line, as was said in this space a year ago when Robbie Brennan plumped for Eoghan Frayne as skipper in his maiden season as manager, there’s no set menu for assignment of the role.
Other than that it stands as an endorsement of the respect in which they are held by all those connected to the team and could also be taken as a statement of intent with regard to held ambitions for and within the group.
Hence, if you were in Derek Lyng’s position, appointing TJ Reid to a third stint in the role was the crowning glory of all no brainers. I’ve seen dross in some quarters since that giving the nod to the Ballyhale legend (38) doesn’t send a great message to younger players in the Marble City, but, to my mind, that is utter dung. The man is the epitome of a role model. The spiritual leader of Kilkenny hurling. Maybe to all hurlers.
He is still, to my mind, pound for pound, the best – and absolutely the most influential – hurler in the country. Age need not come into consideration either. If business and family allows, there’s no need for this to be TJ’s last hurrah either.
16 or 46, age is only a number, and if a player has the respect of those around them and is still contributing to the collective cause, celebrate the fact that they still have the desired requirements to pursue the common goal.
Mind you, all of the above are equally applicable to the selection of a younger player in a leadership role. Briefly returning to Kilkenny, if memory serves me correctly, James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick captained the Cats to Liam Mac Carthy glory at a fairly young age. Before seemingly falling foul of Darth Cody and vanishing from the highest level long. long before his time.
Closer to home and indeed sort of encompassing both strands of the captain bracketing referred to above, the Meath lady footballers have announced current All Star Niamh Gallogly as captain for the coming season, with Emma Duggan – who, somewhat unbelievably, only turns 24 the same date yours truly hits half way to 90 – and Robyn Murray named as joint was captains.