Carew’s Déise odyssey

WHEN it happened, the immediate reaction was that there must have been a fallout.

Why else would Niall Carew resign, just a matter of weeks after being confirmed as part of Kildare’s management for a sixth season with Kieran McGeeney? Taking on the job as Waterford manager two months later only confirmed the suspicion in the minds of many. He clearly didn’t leave for a better offer.

That’s true, he didn’t. But it’s false too. He didn’t leave for a better offer because there was no offer at the time of his departure from Kildare. It was false because, for Carew, at this time in his life, when the call did come from Waterford secretary Timmy O’Keeffe, it was exactly what he needed.