O’Grady the standout choice

THE announcement yesterday by Jerry O’Sullivan, chairman of the committee charged with appointing a Cork senior hurling manager, that Denis Walsh — who has held the position for the past two and a half seasons — will not be reappointed has taken many by surprise.

It shouldn’t.

While there is absolutely no question Denis and his management team gave the job everything they had, there can be no question either but that Cork hurling hasn’t advanced in that period. It’s only right then the Appointment Committee should recognise that at the earliest opportunity, while also recognising the massive effort put in by Walsh.

The same committee must now look to the various candidates for what is one of the most demanding positions in hurling.

Mention will be made of former star player and All-Ireland winning manager in 1999, Jimmy Barry-Murphy, while Ger Fitzgerald, another former star and manager of the U21 team beaten in the Munster final last week by Limerick, will also be mentioned. But the man with the most suitable credentials of all is surely Donal O’Grady.

O’Grady took over in very turbulent times back in 2003, and in his two years at the helm took Cork to two All-Ireland finals, winning at the second attempt. This year O’Grady went to Limerick, also a county who had known a lot of turbulence last season, and led them to a Division 2 league title, then came within an ace of beating Waterford in the Munster semi-final, and subsequently could have beaten Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final.

With his one-year contract with Limerick expiring in the next couple of weeks he will be a free agent very shortly, but most probably for a very short period. Cork should move heaven and earth to get O’Grady back.

The next question then of course is what kind of talent is available to the new manager? Among those who are left from the great team of the late 90’s/mid 00’s there were very obvious signs of wear and tear this year. Donal Óg Cusack remains a keeper of the very highest calibre, but then keepers in all sports have a longer lifespan generally than outfield players.

When you look to the likes of the O’Connor twins, however, to Ronan Curran, who called it a day yesterday, Tom Kenny, Niall McCarthy, Brian Murphy, they owe Cork absolutely nothing at this stage, and should no longer be expected to carry this team.

Over the past three years of championship action under Denis Walsh, we’ve seen players of the calibre of Shane O’Neill, Stephen McDonnell, Eoin Cadogan, William Egan, Pa Cronin, Lorcan McLoughlin, Cian McCarthy, Conor Lehane, Patrick Horgan, Luke O’Farrell, Jamie Coughlan and Paudie O’Sullivan brought through.

There are more where they came from, however, and plenty more. Young Damien Cahalane, from the U21 team, looks ready already to make the step up to top level, certainly has the physique and the mentality for it, while we all saw what Aidan Walsh is capable of when let loose on a hurling field.

Ciarán Sheehan is another likely lad, as is Denis O’Sullivan, scorer of 6-3 in a club game (6-2 from play) less than a week after coming on as a sub for the Cork senior footballers in the All-Ireland quarter-final loss to Mayo.

But herein, another challenge.

The last four of those mentioned above are dual players, as is Eoin Cadogan. Again, as with the approach to O’Grady for the managerial position, every possible power of persuasion must be used to get those guys to declare an allegiance to hurling.

But the appointment of a manager of the calibre of O’Grady would surely help to redress what is certainly an abnormality in a county that has been so traditionally aligned with hurling. It happened in Limerick, where the likes of Stephen Lucey, Mark O’Riordan and James Ryan all opted to play hurling under O’Grady – it could happen again in Cork.

Whoever is appointed must surely have that kind of profile, however, or those potential stars could all be lost.

What about a bolter, a name from outside who wouldn’t be associated with anything that has gone on before – what of Tony Considine, of this parish, whose own recent club record in Limerick stands up to any scrutiny?