Éamonn Fitzmaurice: Why managers look after No 1 so much...
UNDER PRESSURE: Ex-Kerry boss Eamonn Fitzmaurice in the heat of Championship. 'Hindsight isn’t much of a strategy for an inter-county manager', he says.
In any management position, making decisions based on the information available goes with the territory. Often times there is no good decision, only the least bad decision. In the unforgiving sporting world, results on the pitch dictate whether such reasoning is deemed the right course of action or not.
Managers, in general, are selfish with regard to the team they are in charge of. They look at everything through the prism of their own team and the broader debate or big picture can easily be explained away. Club managers champion the club scene, school managers highlight the importance of this level in their development, college managers talk about the significance and romance of the Sigerson Cup and intercounty managers over-rule everyone else!
Many managers make decisions for the common good at times but when results go against you and the criticism kicks in it hardens resolve which informs the decision-making process next time around.
I recall in 2014 between League and Championship Cork, under Brian Cuthbert, released all of the squad back to the clubs for a couple of weeks. They had a very strong league and had hammered us in the final game in Tralee. I remember thinking at the time he was mad. In Kerry, we were training twice during the week and all the lads were playing with their clubs at the weekends. I felt it was very important for the group to be together as we prepared for championship, both from a collective purpose point of view and from a physical perspective.
The players had the balance and enjoyment of playing with their clubs every weekend which was an escape from the intensity of the county setup. We beat Cork in the Munster final afterwards. The following summer there was no releasing of the Cork players lock stock and barrel for a significant block. While Cuthbert’s motivation was noble, he learned a harsh lesson. Unless every team in the country was doing the same thing you were handicapping yourself. There were plenty of times I learned harsh lessons myself.
Two managers made big decisions on behalf of their squads this weekend attempting to use their foresight and experience. Of course, next weekend's hindsight will inform us and the broader discussion whether they were right or wrong. Hindsight isn’t much of a strategy for an inter-county manager though.
Declan Bonner, with his full focus on next weekend's Ulster championship game against Tyrone, decided the league game in Tralee on Saturday was well down his list of priorities. They elected to travel the length of the country with their 'B' team even though they still had an outside chance of winning the league. They lost by 14 points, scoring two points in the second half. Without Micheal Murphy, Ryan McHugh et al., they looked well off it. They had a great win at home to Tyrone the previous weekend and would it have been wiser to have built on the momentum and try to win away to Kerry?
The way this season is being run off between now and December, momentum and belief are key ingredients. It is hard to turn on and off form. Did the defeat in Tralee put a hole in their boat or can they just explain it away this week? I don’t have the answers. Next weekend will provide them. Win and Bonner is a genius and was correct in what he did. Lose... well we know the rest!
Similarly, Pauric Davies made a big call with regard to Longford's final Division 3 game at home to already promoted Cork. I can understand his point about teams travelling up and down the country during Level 5, but the decision was made by the GAA and should have been honoured.
We can’t pick and choose the games we want to play. While the pandemic is a factor, I am sure the thought and worry of in-form Cork coming to town and the damage a bad loss could do to morale a week out from the Leinster championship against Louth crossed his mind. I imagine Cork would have been very disappointed by the decision. Having returned late, they need all the competitive games they can get. I am sure they will have a few competitive A v B games in the lead up to the November 8 Kerry game but the context garnered from competitive action is invaluable. Similarly, the prudence, or otherwise, of Davies’ decision will be dictated by the result next weekend.
