Limerick hit self-destruct button again
When it has been warranted.
Voices hush when Mayo talk about rotten luck but there is silence when Limerick speak of their woes, especially their most recent ones.
Their demotion from Division 1 via a boardroom decision.
Paul Ryan’s questionable eligibility for Dublin in last year’s Division 1B final.
The Hawk-Eye error that fell so cruelly against the minors in last year’s All-Ireland semi-final.
It has made a discernible change to see Limerick not hopping up and down in agony with a gun smoking in their hand. Alas, it was a situation all too fleeting.
Limerick last weekend regained their title as the self-inflicted fall guys.
The old saying is “never go back”. That’s possibly the only thing each party would agree on right now. Donal O’Grady would hardly have imagined it would have turned out this way. Ditto Limerick although he and TJ Ryan weren’t their first choices.
Was that tag team doomed from the outset? O’Grady and Ryan’s co-living arrangement was a compromise in every sense of the word as Limerick supporters winced at the prospect of another Cork man, albeit an excellent coach and proven manager, taking the helm.
Sportsfile’s photograph of the pair at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday illustrated their relationship remains a strong one. But a successful one? On the basis of what was seen this spring, no. Limerick’s superior score difference over Cork in the race to return to Division 1 amounted to nothing once they drew with Offaly.
O’Grady’s second term with the county wasn’t as smooth as his first. The bush telegraph in the county was ringing with stories of one prominent player taking issue with the direction of training although the same man was named in the Championship squad last week.
Difficulties, it seems, had been addressed only for the county board executive to allegedly go back on their word and force O’Grady’s hand.
Judging by some of the groundless comments made about O’Grady on social networks since Sunday night, his legal advisors could have a field day.
His decision here was a principled one. The county board were not prepared to clarify or apologise for what both he and Ryan felt was an untrue statement made by an officer at a county board meeting.
How could he continue to work under the auspices of a body that undermined him?
The logic in TJ Ryan deciding to remain on is dubious. He might have felt duty-bound not to leave the county in the lurch but when the executive did just that to him just how much authority does he have?
When he, like O’Grady, has been so openly critical of the board is he going to be anything more than a lame duck?
There has been no afterglow from that heady July afternoon on the Ennis Road last July. Their crippling nerves in the following month’s All-Ireland semi-final, John Allen’s departure and now this have ensured that.
Should we be all that shocked? Limerick finds success an awkward bedfellow.
Shortly after Tom Ryan claimed a league title in 1997, he was dumped.
The Dave Keane-led golden U21 era in the early 2000s was never built upon.
Limerick, let’s face it, are the Laurel and Hardy of Gaelic games and once again they find themselves in a right mess.
Their players may yet defy the difficulties that threaten to derail their preparations for a Munster semi-final with Tipperary in Thurles. It’s a long shot. Eamon O’Shea’s side will be pumped to make up for losing in the Gaelic Grounds last year. Eyes should be trained ahead but they’re diverted elsewhere. Ours are rolled to heaven. History repeats, nobody learns and few are surprised.
* Email: john.fogarty@examiner.ie
Another bumper GAA weekend gone, another weekend when we can thank our lucky stars we are not inter-county referees.
Anthony Nolan drew the ire of Cork supporters in Saturday’s U21 All-Ireland semi-final when he penalised Sam Ryan for picking the ball up off the ground.
Diarmuid Murtagh scored the resultant free to win the game for Roscommon.
In the following game, the treatment dished out by Cavan fans and some of their players to referee Derek O’Mahoney after full-time was disgraceful. There may have been inconsistency issues in his handling of the game but where is there not nowadays with officials? That’s not an excuse but merely stating a fact.
Close to the end, O’Mahoney was wrong to issue Conor McHugh a yellow card but he was also right not to show him a black card either when on first viewing it appeared he had brought down Conor P Moynagh. On further scrutiny, the Cavan player was just as guilty as his tackler. As for the advantage rule that was applied to Moynagh’s foul on Conor Ivory, it was done so correctly by O’Mahoney and play was called back. But was it a foul in the first place? Questionable. Easter Sunday’s hurling officiating didn’t escape criticism either. Pat McEnaney speaks of the slow whistle in football and hurling but it’s easier said than done and on Sunday James McGrath was at least safe in the knowledge he awarded Galway a free for the foul on Jonathan Glynn regardless of what ensued.
McGrath wasn’t helped by a terribly obsolete advantage rule but who wants to hear referees’ hard luck stories?
It’s over a year now since the sidelines were cleansed – or so we thought. What went on at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday has proven we’re back to where we were prior to all that hullabaloo.
Unless Croke Park have altered their directive, which we very much doubt considering how staunch GAA president Liam O’Neill was in his determination to reduce the numbers on sidelines, counties are turning a blind eye to the match regulations.
For the first game, Kilkenny had seven on their patch under the Mackey Stand while Galway had six.
In the second match, both Davy Fitzgerald and Eamon O’Shea had their full complement of management and board officials with them at pitchside.
The December 2012 match regulations state the maximum number of team officials permitted to remain in the pitch enclosure is five — manager, one selector, one medical person and two water/hurley carriers.
The numbers mentioned above in Limerick excluded those carriers.
The document adds: “All other team officials including selectors, second medical person, chairman and secretary shall remain in the designated area provided for substitutes”.
If the fuss was worth it, fines will be forthcoming but shouldn’t the flouting have been stopped in the first place?
