Greene bows out as Mount Sion boss after delivering championship hat-trick

A HAT-TRICK of Waterford senior hurling championships wasn't enough to convince Jim Greene to remain on as Mount Sion manager.

Greene announced to the club AGM that his time as hurling boss is over and the formidable task of carrying on his rich legacy has been entrusted to Paraic Fanning, whose family has been involved with the Monastery club since its foundation in the 1930s.

Greene’s departure was without acrimony or controversy, the man himself believing that three years at the managerial helm was long enough. However, the club’s unlucky one-point defeat to Toomevara in the Munster club championship final left him devastated and most probably accelerated his decision to call it a day.

“When I took over the job of managing Mount Sion three years ago, my priority objective was to complete a hat-trick of county championships and we did that,” he said.

“Next on my target list was to win a provincial championship with the club and we did that also, but the third objective of winning the All-Ireland title was not to be, though two out of three can’t be all that bad.”

Greene had his heart set on atoning for the disappointment of 2003, when ‘Sion suffered a sensational one-point defeat against Dunloy of Antrim in the All-Ireland semi-final.

As this year’s campaign got underway, he believed he had a team good enough to go all the way for an historic first time, but after victories over Ahane and Kilmaley he suffered the agony of seeing his side surrender a seven-point second half lead against Toomevara in the Munster final and lose by a point to the Tipp champions.

Had ‘Sion won their second provincial title in three years, Greene would undoubtedly have remained on, at least until the side’s involvement in the All-Ireland series ended.

However, the defeat by Toome clearly made up his mind that now was the time to go.

Déise legend Greene won 11 county senior championships with his beloved club. Hugely popular both inside and outside Mount Sion, he was a prolific scorer on the county team for years without savouring the success that has come the way of the current side.

Another ambition that has remained unfulfilled for him is his appointment as manager of the Waterford team. When Gerald McCarthy stepped down, he publicly declared his candidature and made no secret of his disappointment when Justin McCarthy was given the job.

He said he felt let down that he was not even interviewed before the vacant post was filled, and subsequently his son Brian quit the county panel following his widely publicised criticism of McCarthy, declaring he would never wear the Waterford jersey again while the former Cork ace remained in the managerial role.

The new Mount Sion boss, Paraic Fanning, comes with an impressive pedigree following a successful playing career with the club, during which he also garnered many championship honours. He has played an important role in hurling at WIT for a number of years, while his father Phil is also a former Mount Sion player and selector. His grandfather Pat Fanning, a founder member of Mount Sion and honorary life president, is also widely regarded as one of the greatest ever presidents of the GAA.