For delirious Doon and Derek McGrath, life moves in mysterious ways
Derek McGrath didn’t see this coming. The former Waterford manager couldn’t have imagined a scenario where he would be standing on the sideline at the TUS Gaelic Grounds in late October shepherding Doon to its first ever Limerick county title. But then life is full of unexpected detours and pitstops.
The man further along the chalk and desperate for his Na Piarsaigh side to claim a three-in-a-row was none other than Shane O’Neill. He had acted as solicitor for Tadhg De Burca during his DRA case all of seven years ago.
McGrath had been helping out with Faythe Harriers in Wexford in recent years. He had done some missionary work with Laois and Dublin U20s too, but hadn’t immersed himself in a hurling project to this extent since finishing up “wrecked” with Waterford.
His son was sitting the Leaving Cert as well so, all told, he just had no intention of being lassoed into another dressing-room in 2024 until an unlikely delegation threw out a hopeful line from East Limerick well into the calendar year.
Darragh O’Donovan, Richie English and Pat Ryan were part of the crew that had “madness in their eyes” at that meeting. These players gave McGrath pause for thought and he was already leaning into the idea by the time he left Ballykisteen that night.
“I don’t know, I was just struck by something intangible in the room. I just thought I might like this. I didn’t go up there until the middle of March. I didn’t go back too early and we took a few weeks off.
“I think we managed the season well from a conditioning point of view and from a fun point of view in that the lads were able to get their breaks, if you like. The split season probably allows that.”
Other pieces fell into place for a side that had long cemented itself as one of the county’s Big Four but had yet to get over the finish line having lost two deciders to Na Piarsaigh in 2018 and 2020, the second of them by 27 points.
O’Donovan spent most of the inter-county season on the sideline with injury and Doon got the benefit of that. Adam English, used sparingly in green, had been flying off the top of the ground through the county championship.
These are the people McGrath highlighted after their one-point win here: the players, and Brother Dromer, Tom Murphy and Dinny Moloney, the latter pair having been part of the management team this year and all men draped in the club and its history.
McGrath’s influence was referenced by others more than once on Sunday evening. Adam English touched on his impact as a person as much as a manager, but the man himself was adamant that he had brought no magic potion with him.
The credit, he said, rested with the men on the grass.
Doon started well and then hit five points in a row in the second quarter after conceding two quickfire goals to Na Piarsaigh’s Adrian Breen and David Dempsey that could have cut the heart from a side chasing this dream for so long.
The day was dark and wet and it made for tricky hurling. The Doon management talked on Sunday morning after looking out the window and wondered was it a day for straying from their short passing and running game. They decided to stick rather than twist.
They were going to win or lose this one their way.
Doon trailed by just a point at the break and shot the lights out after the restart to lead by three before Na Piarsaigh showed their own mettle by bringing it back level. It was English, with his eleventh point of the day, who won it from a free with 68 minutes on the clock.
“They just ran hard and chased hard,” said McGrath who spoke about keeping things simple. “There was no magic to it. It was just a proper championship match and it’s great to see that, everyone was in it with those conditions.
“We were never too smart in any game, we just went all in for every game. Sometimes people would have a plan, hold back something for later in the year, we didn’t do that. We went all out every game and said we’d see where it takes us.” Where it takes them is into a Munster club championship quarter-final against Ballygunner in Limerick next weekend. New ground for Doon, familiar foes for McGrath. Life really does work in mysterious ways.
A English (0-11, 0-7 frees, 0-1 ‘65’); B Murphy, D O’Donovan, P Ryan, G Thomas, D Stapleton (all 0-1).
D Dempsey and A Breen (both 1-0); R Lynch and S Dowling (both 0-2 frees); C Boylan, M Foley. JJ Carey, P Casey, D Lynch (all 0-1).
T Lynch; E Fitzgibbon, T Hayes, C O‘Donovan; C Thomas, B Murphy, R English; D O’Donovan, P Ryan; G Thomas, A English, E Stokes; J Ryan, K Maher, D Stapleton. C Ryan for Thomas (37); M O’Brien for Stapleton (61); P Cummins for O’Donovan (69).
S Dowling; V Harrington, M Casey, E McEvoy; M Foley, W O’Donoghue, J Boylan; R Lynch, T Grimes; JJ Carey, W Henn, C Boylan; D Dempsey, K Downes, A Breen. P Casey for Henn (43); D Lynch for Breen (61); K Dempsey for Downes (70).
J O’Halloran (Bruree).
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