Justin McCarthy would have had a wry smile on his face last Sunday afternoon. As you all know he resigned from his post as the county team’s hurling manager a number of months ago after a “heave” from his own players. It had become apparent, in the wake of a heavy defeat to Clare in the Munster championship, that some of the players were unhappy with McCarthy. Much was made of Dan Shanahan storming off the field that day and refusing to shake Justin’s hand when substituted. As in that game big Dan was totally anonymous last Sunday, barely touching the ball, until he was rescued from the action or, should that be non-action! I wasn’t too enamoured with the Waterford players at the time as I felt it was another example of player power being exerted, something that has become quite common this year. Remember it was McCarthy who took Waterford to three Munster titles and also to the brink of All-Ireland glory. It wasn’t his fault the players choked when so near the finishing line. They had the perfect excuse last year. The system militated against them, they said, as they had played three consecutive Sundays in a row. The manager is always the easy scapegoat after failures and these players must have felt the need to apportion blame to someone. Justin is obviously a proud man. He walked before it got ugly and, other than issuing a brief statement at the time, he kept his powder dry. I am not sure if he went along to Croke Park last Sunday, but as the game unfolded he would have felt fully justified in having walked from the job when the players had the audacity to question his methods after seven relatively successful years in charge.
I watched this hurling final from the comfort of my own sitting room, having raced home from McHale Park after the first of two club games last Sunday. (Surely the match involving Knockmore and Claremorris could have been played later on Sunday evening in order to avoid a direct clash with the hurling final? ) The Cats were simply awesome over the 70 minutes. I cannot ever recall witnessing such a complete performance from any team. I have experienced ugly days on the sideline on All Ireland final day in the past and I am sure Davy Fitzgerald had that empty feeling as the game imploded from a Waterford perspective. Contrast that with the contentment of his opposite number, Brian Cody. As I watched the game I couldn’t help but think what a pleasure it must have been for Brian to have the luxury of walking the line with the three in a row a sure thing after 20 minutes. He could relax for the next 55 and watch his charges play with fluency and a flair that does justice to the Kilkenny tradition. Meanwhile, what a horrible sight it was to see Waterford fans leaving in their droves long before the final whistle. The players on the pitch, who were already experiencing the humiliation of one of the biggest defeats of their hurling careers, had to endure the added humiliation of having their own supporters turn their backs on them. I sent a text message to my Waterford friend who was at the game, just in case he was thinking of it, not to dare leave until the game had finished!
No to player power in managerial appointments
I received a phone call two weeks ago seeking my observations on the Dublin footballers demanding that they be involved in the process of appointing a new football manager. I said at the time, and I will repeat it now, that players should not be involved in the selection process of a new manager. The notion that the Dublin senior footballers should have a big say in the appointment of a new manager is fundamentally wrong.
Traditionally players have never been involved in the selection process of a manager or a management team and I don’t see any reason for that to change. While I do believe that it is reasonable for a county chairman or secretary to consult a senior player for an opinion, the idea that a member of the panel would present the county board with a shortlist of candidates is simply not how business is done. That was never the domain of players and I think it would be a mistake for players to get involved in this process. The reason I mention this now is because I read during the week that the Donegal players issued a statement outlining their disgust and annoyance at the manner in which their football manager Brian McIvor was dismissed from his position. That is laudable and understandable in the circumstances, but they also demanded that they be involved in the process of selecting a new manager. Not, on boys.
Exciting games in the club championship
I witnessed three exciting matches last weekend in McHale Park. The pick of them for me was the Ballintubber/ Ballaghaderreen clash on Saturday evening. This was a terrific game of football and if ever a draw was the right result, it was most appropriate that these two sides should do battle again. Notwithstanding the class of Alan Dillon for Ballintubber the two best individual performances over the weekend were from David “Ginger’” Tiernan and the evergreen James Nallen. They rolled back the years and produced high-energy performances for their respective clubs that were a credit to their longevity playing football.
