Douglas must translate underage success in search for senior superiority
WEALTH OF TALENT: Sean Wilson of Douglas manages to keep the ball away from Sam Ryan of St Finbarrs. Pic: Howard Crowdy
Douglas and potential. An uncomfortable relationship. Has all the makings of a happy marriage. They have yet, however, to successfully make it down the aisle.
Douglas and potential. It’s a Rubik's cube that raises its head at the same time every single year.
When the county championship in Cork moves from group phase to knockout, a focus and fascination shifts onto Douglas and will this be the season where the club weds potential with results.
Year after year, though, the same unfulfilled outcome is arrived at.
Earlier this month, two columnists weighed in on the annual conversation that is Douglas’ failure to translate talent into county championship tin.
First to the pulpit was 2010 All-Ireland winning Cork footballer Patrick Kelly.
“Douglas are a strange one,” wrote Kelly.
“No club has the playing numbers, provided more players to Cork underage representative teams, or have as much success in the premier underage grades as they do, but they haven’t been able to transfer that to senior silverware in either code.
“At times, it has felt like their early successes have contributed to their inability to succeed at adult level with their more storied neighbours eking more out of their developing talent.”
Next to give his two cents, ahead of the club’s hurling quarter-final, was 1999 All-Ireland winning Cork hurler Seánie McGrath.
“Douglas have a golden generation in Shane Kingston, Alan Cadogan, the great stalwart that is Mark Harrington, Brian Turnbull, young Cillian O’Donovan, and more.
“But again, they showed a small bit of mental fragility when losing to Charleville. They now need to make a statement. They have to beat Imokilly. I see Imokilly, though, catching them.”
McGrath called it right. Imokilly more than had their number.
That fourth consecutive quarter-final defeat began a very Douglas 24 hours.
A day after their hurlers’ campaign tamely petered out, Douglas successfully defended the county minor football title. Achieved without injured Cork minor Sean Coakley.
The minor hurlers are in semi-final action on Monday week, two games from completing a back-to-back minor double.
Underage success is nothing new. In the past 10 years, four minor football titles, two minor hurling, and one county U21 at hurling and football.
But in all that time, not been a single county senior final appearance in either code, never mind silverware. The best they’ve managed is four semi-final defeats.
Willie Coveney is a former Douglas player. Nowadays, you’ll find him on the sideline shaping the next generation.
He oversaw the 2016 U21 winning hurling team, coached last year’s successful minor hurling group, and is part of the management for the senior footballers who have a quarter-final playoff against St Michael’s this evening.
He hears the conversations had outside club walls.
“I wouldn't call it lazy analysis. We'd ask the same question ourselves in the club,” said Coveney.
“It is a question that has been bandied around for years, why isn't underage success leading to senior success?
“One of the obvious answers is just because Douglas is getting bigger doesn't necessarily mean the club is getting bigger. There are people living in the surrounding areas going across to the northside, going into Togher, going into Nemo, and going into Blackrock. They are going into different clubs, not to mind the different sports.
“Now, there is definitely an expectation in the club that if you are winning these [minors] we should be pushing on to win senior. That is of course the goal. But underage success doesn't guarantee you anything.”
Fair enough, but you at least want to hold onto these successful underage players in the years after they fly the juvenile nest.
The football team put out against the Barrs the weekend before last contained just one starter - goalkeeper Cian O’Leary - from the 2019 minor winning first 15, while the four survivors from the 2013 minor winning team - Sean Powter, Kevin Flahive, and the Kingston brothers - would have been expected to come through anyway given they wore the red of Cork at underage.
Coveney explained the club approach to the latest minor winning teams to make sure theirs is a successful graduation.
“You try and find a suitable home for them. The best one or two might go straight to senior, as Charlie Lucas did with the hurlers this year and Rob Hanley and Chris O’Keeffe did with the footballers.
“After that, we'd try and group everyone together at the appropriate junior football grade, or intermediate on the hurling side, so at least they are still with a lot of their group and still seeing familiar faces when coming to training.
“You emphasise to them the importance of staying the course and that no one has forgotten about you, and hope that the physical education the club is providing helps and improves them so that in a year or two they find their feet and can make the step up.”
Former Cork minor manager Mick Evans did two stints as Douglas senior football boss. His experience was that the club’s healthy Cork representation was more a hindrance than help.
“During my second term, there were almost eight Cork players on our panel, but, on any given day, you would only ever have three on the pitch as four or five would be injured.
“It absolutely did stunt the development and growth of Douglas when you had so many fellas involved in Cork. They don't have as many Cork players now as they did in my time, and that is going to be a great help.”
For his part, Evans does foresee Douglas and their undeniable potential eventually getting down the aisle.
“They've so many good, young players coming through. If they can work them and hold onto them, I'm convinced Douglas will get there.”
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