From looking back to looking forward to local club action
RECALLING THE players from other counties who served Wexford so well since the mid-sixties has been an enjoyable exercise. Some were well remembered, while others may have been long forgotten, but there was such a large volume that it has brought this column merrily through lockdown since my chat with Donegal man John Bradley set the ball rolling in early April.
And now, with July arriving tomorrow (Wednesday) and club games on the horizon, it’s time to wrap up the exercise before we focus on what lies ahead.
Stephen Nolan, the Faythe Harriers hurler with very strong Kilkenny city connections, was a county Minor in 2002 and ’03, and an Under-21 in ’05 and ’06. He made 27 appearances with the Senior team between 2006 and 2009, scoring 4-35 in the process.
Anthony Durack was our centre-forward in the Leinster Intermediate championship final of 2009 versus Kilkenny and, with a surname like that, the Glynn-Barntown clubman at the time was never going to hide his Clare roots.
I’ve mentioned Stephen Murphy already in the football round-up, the second generation of his family to represent St. Martin’s. He arrived from the Kilruane MacDonagh’s club in Tipperary, and played eight times with the county Senior hurlers after debuting in 2012.
From the current crop of players, honourable mention should be made of the role played by our exiles in London, Fr. Murphy’s, in developing Seamus Casey’s love for the game.
Because this look back in time only started in 1964, I didn’t mention a host of other ‘non-natives’ who wore the purple and gold.
That list would include the likes of Paddy Mackey, Mick Heffernan, John Mitchell, Mick Morrissey, Tom Ryan, Tim Russell, Oliver Gough, Seán Power and Seamus Quaid (whose memory will be honoured once again this coming weekend when the golf competition in his name is hosted by the Wexford club).
We were all grateful for the countless trips taken down memory lane since March, with many serving as a welcome distraction in the absence of live sport.
However, there’s only so much reminiscing that can be endured before a longing for the ‘real thing’ kicks in. With that in mind, I cannot wait for the local CCC to release the fixtures details for the forthcoming county championships.
It’s clear that things are returning to some kind of normal when the popular GAA pastime of giving out and moaning is back to the forefront.
Everybody is perfectly entitled to express an opinion on the games schedule, but let’s face it: a programme to cater adequately for one and all was never going to be a runner in the current climate.
You simply cannot have four months wiped off a playing calendar and then expect everything to be hunky-dory after an earlier than anticipated return.
I’ve been as critical as the next person with regard to various decisions taken both at local and national levels, but now it’s time to let the hard-pressed officials get on with organising the games to the best of their ability. Of course there will be teething problems, and unforeseen issues mightn’t even arise until after the matches resume.
A word of caution, though: before you give out about a GAA-related matter in the weeks to come, ask yourself first how you would have done it better.
The biggest disappointment for me is that there will be no provincial or All-Ireland club championships due to the crowded nature of the calendar.
Bringing in these competitions was a masterstroke by the GAA, especially when they extended them to give Intermediate and Junior teams the same opportunity as their Senior counterparts.
Finally, I’m wondering if I’m the only one bemused by the mixed messages we are expected to take on board from the authorities.
A booklet on staying safe and adhering to Covid-19 guidelines was free with my Sunday newspaper. And on page seven, relating to exercising outdoors, it clearly states: ‘Avoid contact sports’.
How does that tally with the return to training and games? Good luck figuring it out.