Barry-Murphy is his own man and Cusack his own choice
Chances are you have a policy position on the new Cork captain, because God knows nothing happens in GAA terms in the southern capital and environs without people having a well-defined stance on it that they are willing to ventilate given half a chance.
An exaggeration? Last Sunday afternoon this writer was in Kilkenny for the replayed county senior hurling final between James Stephens and Ballyhale Shamrocks, and in the match programme there was a piece on the 1946 Kilkenny hurling team — specifically that team’s threat to withdraw from the All-Ireland senior hurling final that year due to a dispute with the county board.
Interestingly, the writer of the piece referred therein to Donal Óg Cusack and his Cork colleagues in arms during recent upheavals in the Rebel County, with the tenor of the comments giving readers to understand that even in matters of player power, Kilkenny was first among equals, etc.
Anyway. The most important thing about last Saturday morning’s announcement is not so much the person who was promoted, but the person who was doing the announcing in the first place.
Jimmy Barry-Murphy is at once the manager of the here and now and the manager of a decade-plus ago but moving swiftly to announce his training panel a couple of weeks ago, and now his captain, indicates strong views on his personnel for 2012, with a stress on the ‘his’.
Those who dislike Cusack indict him on many charges, but the principal crime seems to be wanting to run the Cork team from his seat in the dressing-room. Even if there were some truth to that it is unlikely that Jimmy Barry-Murphy would allow himself to be dictated to, and oddly, this announcement reinforces that feeling.
Though revered as much for his avuncular modesty as his incredible achievements on the field, Barry-Murphy can be as clinical as any manager. One need only look at his first tenure as Cork boss, particularly the 1996-’98 period, when he gave several players a final chance in the red jersey.
When they couldn’t cut it, they were dropped.
Last Sunday morning Barry-Murphy ran through the reasons for picking his new captain briskly and efficiently: a long-serving player, respect of the others, an experienced man and the obvious choice.
Often we tend to skim over the terminology in such pro forma commentary, but that would be to miss the point: when Barry-Murphy uses the word ‘choice’, he’s referring to his choice.
You can be guaranteed there’ll be plenty of keyboard experts and chat-room gurus pontificating about player power in the Cork dressing-room again on the back of last Saturday’s announcement (clearly their access to that part of Páirc Uí Chaoimh is better than most).
We’re inclined to think they’re half-right. The announcement showed who’s in charge alright — the man who picks the captain.
