Building a Model of success
That was a nice piece on Marty Morrissey’s new championship programme the other night. Larry Murphy reminiscing about the 1996 Leinster final. One of the matches of the 90s, a coruscating encounter from that Pleistocene era in which Wexford and Offaly won provincial titles and All-Irelands.
That Pleistocene era in which, even more importantly, Wexford and Offaly mattered. They meet in Tullamore tonight, Division 2 teams by any other name. In the great scheme of things, it’s not exactly one of the games of the summer. For RTÉ to be covering it live is a kindness to them.
In the one-and-a-half party state that Leinster has always been, both counties have been supplanted as the half-party by Dublin. Victory here will make the winners the fourth-best team in Leinster. Don’t hold the back page.
But it’s an important fixture for one reason. This is potentially where Wexford’s journey back to relevance begins. You know, one of those journeys of a 1,000 miles that begins with a single step. Tonight they take that first step under the guidance of their most gifted hurler of the past 25 years. And their most controversial.
Liam Dunne. Remember him? Supremely gifted. Liquid striking. Superlative powers of anticipation. A small wing-back who was good enough to win an All-Ireland at centre-back. A small wing-back who, as if to overcompensate, too often did the hard man on it.
Managed to create a record by being sent off in three successive championships. Brought out a brutally honest autobiography — I Crossed the Line; very Johnny Cash — in which he laid his demons bare. Subsequently became a pillar of hurling society and led his native Oulart-the-Ballagh to three successive Wexford titles. Would have led them to a Leinster triumph but for bad luck against O’Loughlins in one final and bad shooting against Coolderry in another.
What’ll he be like as Wexford manager? He’ll make as good a fist of the job as can be made. Mostly because, back in the mid-90s, he met a man who was a hotelier in Rosslare 24/7 and a hurling fanatic 25/7. Nothing about Liam Dunne was ever quite the same afterwards.
Dunne was talkative and obstinate and fond of getting his own way. His new friend was even more talkative, even more obstinate and even more fond of getting his own way. Liam Griffin. There was only ever going to be one winner there.
Griffin wanted discipline and Dunne was indisciplined — trying to steal a few yards at frees, that kind of silliness. Griffin wanted his players to do what they were told and Dunne was one player who did as he liked. Griffin wanted Dunne to play his position and refrain from showing off; Dunne was someone who loved to hurl all along the half-back line. Only one winner there? Correction. There would be more than one winner. In fact, everyone turned out to be a winner. Dunne, Griffin and Wexford themselves. And Liam Dunne ended up not just a better hurler but a better man for encountering Liam Griffin.
Now, as Griffin’s latest successor, Dunne will be passionate and determined and organised. And because he was that soldier, he’ll demand discipline. Wexford need it tonight. Give away frees like snuff at a wake and Shane Dooley will jab them into a stupor.
No hurling county stirs the soul of the neutral quite like Wexford in full flight. The spirit of ’98, the heroes of the 1950s, the gaiscí of Nicky Rackard and Tony Doran and Martin Storey and Tom Dempsey. The sooner the strawberries are in bloom again, the sooner hurling will be a better, richer, livelier place and we’ll all be dancing at the crossroads.
The journey starts tonight.
