THE BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
Crowe & Davy put differences aside for the sake of club but manager still has enemy in his own home for decider
United, Kingspan Breffni, 3.45pm
Down SFC final
Kilcoo v Warrenpoint, Pairc Esler, 4pm
Laois SFC final
Killeshin v Portlaoise, O’moore Park, 4pm Leitrim SFC final Ballinamore v Glencarmanorhamilton, Pairc Sean Macdiarmada, 3pm
Louth SFC final
Newtown Blues v Naomh Mairtin, Gaelic Grounds, 3.30pm
Offaly SFC final
Ferbane v Rhode, O’connor Park, 3.30pm
Roscommon SFC final Padraig Pearses v Roscommon Gaels, Dr AHEAD of tomorrow’s Clare hurling final, Tim Crowe finds himself plotting with former foes, and against family.
The Sixmilebridge manager’s alliance with Davy Fitzgerald is something that neither party would have anticipated despite the fact that they are longtime clubmates.
When Crowe (inset) was initially offered the job he couldn’t find a coach to work with so he turned it down.
In a sporting career of extraordinary depth, taking in athletics, rugby and hurling, he’s had a lengthy association with Clare teams at various grades, most recently in 2007 when he was part of Tony Considine’s management.
Fitzgerald and Considine had a high profile falling out that year which effectively sounded the death knell for the former’s inter-county career.
“We really hadn’t been on speaking terms since that time,” Crowe explains. “Paddy Meehan, who’s the chairman of the club, a fabulous man, took the bull by the horns and he came to me and he said, ‘Would you work with Davy?’
“He went to Davy then and he said, ‘Will you work with Tim?’ Paddy will tell you that it took less than a second for both to say yes.
“My remit was that your family is first, your job is second and your club is third and if any of the three of them get into difficulty, do what you have to do to sort it.
“We met and shook hands and said, ‘I’m not going back’ and he said, ‘Neither am I’. We buried the hatchet in the ground and walked forward and put together a programme and a backroom team to try and win the Championship last February.
“It was a very good lesson for us all that have conflicts within clubs to forget about our hurts and our differences of opinion
Hyde Park, 4pm – TG4 (deferred coverage) Tyrone SFC final
Errigal Ciaran v Trillick, Healy Park, 4pm Westmeath SFC final Garrycastle v St Lomans, TEG Cusack Park, 3.30pm Wexford SFC final Castletown v Gusserane, Innovate Wexford Park, and put your club first and solve the issues of the club and, indirectly, solve your own issues.”
The obvious conundrum was how Fitzgerald would dovetail managing Wexford with coaching Sixmilebridge, but it’s been relatively seamless.
They trained on alternate nights and, recently, Fitzgerald flew home from America for a ‘Bridge game and back across the Atlantic the following morning – at his own expense.
On the day of Fitzgerald’s wedding ceremony two weeks ago, he attended training that night and when the subsequent celebration was held on Friday of last week, he was on the field for the following day’s session.
“If anybody gave an excuse for not going training or missing matches, they found it difficult to justify it to Davy,” says Crowe.
Living under his own roof right now is Michael Hawes (below, right), fullback for Cratloe in tomorrow’s final. He’s married to Crowe’s youngest daughter, Bernadette, and the couple moved in while they save for a place of their own.
“We decided without discussing it that both of us wouldn’t discuss hurling for the last two weeks and it dawned on me then that his two children are wearing Cratloe jerseys for the last week or two,” Crowe notes. “I’d have to bite my tongue a little bit over it but it’s good fun.”
Despite their proximity to each other, there’s a respect between the clubs which won’t be diminished, whatever the outcome tomorrow.
“We’re neighbours, we’re not rivals. We share weddings and funerals and tragedies as neighbours rather than rivals.
“We rally around each other and when the game is over, whoever wins will have to remember that the next day the roles could be reversed so they’ve got to be careful whether they win or lose.”
3.15pm
Wicklow SFC final
Arklow Geraldinesballymoney v St Patricks, Aughrim, 3.30pm
Clare SHC final
Cratloe v Sixmilebridge, Cusack Park, 3.15pm – TG4 Longford SHC final Clonguish Gaels v Longford Slashers, Pearse Park,
3.30pm
Mayo SHC final
Castlebar Mitchels v Tooreen, Machale Park, 2.30pm
Sligo SHC final
Easkey v Naomh Eoin, Markievicz Park, 4pm Waterford SHC final Ballygunner v De La Salle, Walsh Park, 3pm