Buckley embracing role of modern selector

THERE was a time when the job of an inter-county selector was simple – a few training sessions, go on the odd scouting mission to check on a specific player in a club game, sit down with the main man a few days before a match was coming up and help pick the team.

Not any more. In the modern management setup there are no soft jobs and so it is that Cork senior selector Pat Buckley now finds his life turned on its head. He had been familiar with inter-county fare, of course, a central member of the Cork team that won the All-Ireland title in 1990. But this? This is all new and demanding.

“When you were playing you appreciated that it was the big stage. But on the management side it’s a very different challenge and being relatively new to the inter-county management scene it’s been a steep learning curve. It’s all about the players, and with all the extra media attention nowadays there’s a huge spotlight on them.