Does a match, in any sport, have to be of pristine quality to be considered good? Not for this observer. Two teams of similar ilk engaging in honesty of endeavour is every bit as enthralling. I think of the ‘mudbath’ Ulster Final of 1993, when Derry survived the ultimate Clones endurance test and dethroned All Ireland Champions Donegal in the process.
Or, from that same summer, a brilliant Leinster football quarter final between a Wicklow team who were then managed by Niall Rennick from Dunderry and Mick O’Dwyer’s Kildare. At that time, the Garden County were unfortunate to come up against, repeatedly, Meath and Dublin teams who were a good bit ahead of the rest in the 12 county province at the time.
That particular season, however, the once great rivals were on the same side of the draw, presenting some of the others with an opportunity to make a Leinster Final at least. And on that particular day, a Wicklow team backboned by players such as Hugh and Billy Kenny, Mick Murtagh, Fergus Daly, Pat O’Byrne, Conan Daye and Kevin O’Brien looked to have extinguished Micko Mania for another year.
Until, that is, Martin Lynch got away with taking a similar quantity of steps to Sean Bugler a few weeks ago before netting. Not once, but twice. That brought the pre-match favourites back level before substitute Dermot Doyle of Allenwood – who I’m guessing is somehow related to the great Johnny – kicked the Lilys onto a joust with the Dubs.
My reason for mentioning the above here was simply a reflection on how cruel it was on Wicklow at the time – as it was on all teams for generations – that, one defeat and that was their summer in the sun done.
Thankfully, the inception of the Qualifiers in 2001 was the first step to creating a fairer playing field for all. That job is not done yet, but the Back Door was a start. Though maybe it’s a case that things in that area will always need tweaking.
But does there come a time when you have to ask how much of a safety net is too much? Don’t get me wrong, of course if it’s something which works to the benefit of Meath teams it should and will be welcomed. But what does it say about the integrity of a given competition if escape routes are endless?
Again, let it be made abundantly clear, the following is NOT a dig at anybody involved – as player, mentor or backroom – with any Meath team, but, consider that, having won just one of their three group games in the Leinster MFC, Joe Cowley’s charges still made it to the knockout stages thereof.
By way of a Preliminary Quarter Final (which back in the day would surely have just been called a Play Off) against Wexford in Ashbourne. For a lot of last Wednesday’s encounter, there was no indication Meath were about to avail of their reprieve.
One thing three-plus decades of being immersed in all things GAA teaches a soul is that any individual or team representing Wexford will be obdurate, courageous and possessed of no little skill. Oh, and they’re often behemoths of individuals.
All three characteristics were in full view almost immediately after the throw in when powerful midfielder Tom Funge sailed through the Meath defence and planted the ball beyond Cian Murphy.
He would do so again on 17 minutes but, to their credit, the young Royals worked their way back into the contest. With Evan Kelly from the host club and Cormac Nugent of Navan O’Mahonys particularly prominent, they had worked their way back into the contest. ‘Only’ trailing by 0-04 to 2-02 at the break.
The purple and gold tagged on another point on the resumption before, slowly but surely, the rumblings of a Royal revival took hold. Nugent, Kelly and subs Adam Ducie and Senan Duffy all pointing to get Joe Cowley’s side back to parity as the clock turned red.
Then, in the 62nd minute, Patrick Yourell became the third replacement to score when essaying what was assumed to be the winner. A feeling endorsed when the following Wexford kickout was turned over and Cian Tobin ran at their defence. At which point referee Niall Ward appeared to award the locals a free. One which either Nugent or custodian Cillian Murphy would surely have slotted.
But then the Westmeath whistler signalled towards the other direction. Whereupon Funge glided with the grace of a dolphin towards the Meath goal and duly planted a sensational winner past Murphy. Leaving both sides stunned and bewildered, for very different reasons.
Thus we’ve arrived at the reason for what you are reading. The fact that – after four defeats – the young Royals are still in competitive action, now proceeding to a Shield competition. Not where Meath should be or want to be. Aside from the fact that so many escape routes surely devalues the Leinster MFC ‘proper’, with no disrespect intended to anybody, it’s difficult to see what a team could gain from partaking in such a competition.
Would they not be better off, say, being grouped with last year’s Minors later in the year and get them gelling as a Development Squad once club fare is completed? Along with the other such amalgam arrived at after the Regional Championships.
VICTIMS OF THEIR OWN SUCCESS?
With all the (understandable) media coverage of Willie Mullins’ remarkable feat in becoming the first Irish trainer to become British National Hunt Champion in their craft since the legendary Dr Vincent O’Brien, I can’t help feeling a lot of the less positive conjecture thereon misses the point entirely.
We’ve already had the idiotic utterances of the horse training doctor, Richard Newland, calling for Irish runners to be banned from Cheltenham. With ordinary punters, it has been the equally nonsensical, if predictable, “Willie Mullins has racing ruined” dross. Eh, folks, no more than the Dublin footballers, Limerick hurlers, Manchester City or the Leinster rugby team, it’s hardly his fault he’s so much better than the rest at what he does.
And don’t start with the ‘He has Rich Ricci, Cheveley Park, Gigginstown and JP McManus’ line. Aside from the fact that all bar the first-named support other yards, owners put their horses where they think they’re going to get winners, not the other way around, the main differences are the Closutton man’s unquantifiable genius at what he does and, equally if not more importantly, the team of people he has built around him.
Perhaps the most unsung thereof being Harold Kirk, his main man ringside at the sales. All other trainers attend the same sales where the same horses are. It’s hardly the fault of Willie and his team that they have a better eye for picking out a good one than the others.
However, is there a danger they could become victims of their own success? Irish bred bloodstock, ‘normal’ race meetings here and the prizemoney thereat are so superior what’s across the water that it should be no surprising to see possibly the largest ever raiding party honing in on the Punchestown Festival this week.
Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls have been regular competitors over the years, but, this season, some or all of those two, Dan Skelton, Harry Fry, Harry Derham, Olly Murphy and Jeremy Scott could be represented in Kildare before next Saturday.
What would the naysayers think if we ended up with the Mullins situation in reverse here?
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