Barr’s trio were not obvious manager material

Three of the sides playing in this weekend’s Waterford Crystal senior hurling quarter-finals have managers from one club, St Finbarr’s of Cork.

John Allen (Limerick), John Meyler (Kerry) and Jimmy Barry-Murphy (Cork) won county titles in the famous blue jersey, but management wasn’t an obvious career path for any of the players, says Allen.

“When you’re playing that’s all that’s in your head, playing and being the best you can be. At that stage the Barr’s were having a lot of success in hurling and football with county and All-Ireland titles. But it wouldn’t have crossed my mind that I’d become an intercounty manager, and that would be the same for the rest of the lads. Nobody stood out in the dressing-room as an future manager — the guy who stood out as a real leader when I started with the Barr’s was Denis Burns, who coached Cork to a minor All-Ireland, but I wouldn’t have picked out a load of managers in the dressing-room.”