GAA:IT SEEMS certain that a large majority of Limerick hurlers, who were either dropped or refused to play under Justin McCarthy, will return to the intercounty fold next year after the management committee agreed to the appointment of Donal O'Grady as manager last night.
The Limerick clubs must now sign off on the retired North Monastery CBS principal who guided his native Cork to two All-Ireland finals in 2003 and 2004, winning the latter.
That Cork team went on to retain the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2005, when O’Grady’s selector, John Allen, succeeded him, while they were denied a famous three-in-a-row by Kilkenny in the 2006 final.
O’Grady has remained a visible figure in GAA life ever since as a newspaper columnist and television pundit for RTÉ.
Offered a three-year term by the Limerick Appointments Committee of Damien Quigley, Paudie Fitzmaurice and Dairygold CEO Jim Woulfe, O’Grady decided to take on the supposed poisoned chalice of managing the Treaty County, initially anyway, for just one season.
Presuming there is no hiccup when the clubs vote tonight, O’Grady will be the seventh man tasked with reversing Limerick’s fortunes this century. His predecessors are: Eamonn Cregan (1997-2002), David Keane (2003), Pad Joe Whelahan (2003-2005), Joe McKenna (2005-2006), Richie Bennis (2006-2008) and Justin McCarthy (2008-2010).
Bennis was at the helm when Limerick reached the 2007 All-Ireland, a match that ended in a comprehensive defeat to Kilkenny.
The 56-year-old – who won an All-Ireland at full back on the 1984 Cork team before his first foray into intercounty management followed as a selector in 1986 – will work alongside Limerick-born selectors Ciarán Carey, TJ Ryan and Pat Heffernan. All three men featured in the 1994 All-Ireland final defeat to Offaly.
Speaking on Radió na Gaeltachta yesterday, O’Grady identified a need to introduce a solid structural base and gain promotion from Division Two of the National Hurling League.
“My belief has always been that if you get the small things right, the bigger things will look after themselves,” said O’Grady.
“A team is like a pyramid where the base has to be right in terms of training and logistics. These are things that may have been missing and (addressing) that is my role for the year.
“Limerick are in Division Two and maybe that will be the first challenge – to get out of that division. And, I have to say, the job was somewhat more attractive as the team will not be meeting Cork in the short term and you could take your chance in terms of the competition.”
Really though, O’Grady and his selectors will be tasked with ensuring Damien Reale, Brian Geary, Séamus Hickey, Donal O’Grady, James O’Brien, Gavin O’Mahony, Brian Murray are back training next January.
He must also decide who from the 12 players cut by McCarthy, which led to the aforementioned walking out in an act of loyalty, are also called back into the squad. This means established hurlers like Stephen Lucey, Niall Moran, Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Mark O’Riordan, Mike O’Brien and Donie Ryan must now be reassessed.
“There is a mine of talent there but maybe also a lack of experience and maybe (after this season) they can sail the boat themselves,” said O’Grady “The first thing to do is to get to know the players and then to get the strongest panel possible together. I never give my players targets – to win this or that – my one goal is always to discover the potential in each player and once you do that there is little more you can do.”
Galway last night reappointed John McIntyre as hurling manager for another two seasons. McIntyre’s position was ratified at a meeting of Galway hurling board but, unlike his first term, there will be a review at the end of the first year on this occasion.
The former Tipperary player took over from Ger Loughnane two years ago and while they failed to get past the All-Ireland quarter-final for the past two years, this year they won the Walsh Cup and the national league.
