Talk of the town

When the Warriors made Tralee roar again

FOR those directly involved, sport to a large extent can be all about winning and losing. For the neutral observers, when one takes the emotion out of it, it can be extremely enjoyable and entertaining, even relaxing to sit back and enjoy the brilliance of some of its greatest exponents. It’s extremely important to savour and celebrate the good times, while being equally grounded and gracious when some success comes smiling at your doorstep.

People always talk about professional standards in amateur sport but, in reality, they are worlds apart. The amount of money, which is now part and parcel of all professional sport, affords the rich enormous advantages, so it’s not really a level playing field. In that respect putting some of the achievements in the paid code, either individually or in a team concept on a pedestal, and measuring them with different degrees of greatness isn’t always a barometer of their standing in the sport.

Manchester City are quite simply running away with the Premiership at the moment with more money to spend than anybody else. Unfortunately, this type of advantage has now crept into amateur sport, and while the Dublin footballers are seen as a team with a lot of financial clout, they are not alone in that respect. Some other counties are also investing enormous capital relative to their resources, in terms of their team’s preparation, and that’s in football and in hurling. So, when one looks back at the highlights of a sporting season it’s well to bear in mind that there is an imbalance financially across the whole sporting spectrum, and money favours the rich to succeed.

Unfortunately the powers that be are moving away more and more from grassroots level, which could, and probably will, have serious repercussions down along the line because sport for the majority is all about the people you befriend and play with at local local level. The very same people who inspire you to succeed and comfort you in defeat. It becomes part of one’s everyday life, and provides heartache and outpourings of joy in equal quantity. History tells us that for almost all of its participants you lose more games than you win.

Sport is a second family which at times is given more time and affection than our nearest and dearest, but it’s extremely rewarding in terms of being part of a group that complements each other in all aspects of the operation. Best friends quite simply bring out the best in each other.

The sport of basketball in Tralee has enjoyed a lifetime of achievement at all levels, and when the all conquering Tigers folded after the extreme efforts of its unsung heroes had taken its toll, and the financial constraints became too much of a burden, I could never have foreseen a similar type of organisation operating to the same effect again in the town. So when the concept of Tralee Warriors was mentioned, which was a merger of St Brendans and Imperials, I agreed, after some deliberation, to come on board. Realistically, I’ll admit, I didn’t anticipate the ship sailing that far from the shore. Definitely it was challenging, at times the opinion was varied and divided, but it came together thanks to some really great people. All were extremely unselfish in terms of complementing each other in all aspects in terms of what is essentially a semi-professional set up.

To win on the basketball court was, obviously, the core objective, but being part of the broader community, in a social and business sense, supporting everything that would enhance the sustainability and growth of the economy locally was also part of the agenda. Nobody really knew how successful it might be, but the ambition was to put together a quite unique sporting and social package. The results have been quite simply sensational and spectacular. It was never going to be easy. It required a belief, a desire, and a bond that united everybody on and off the court, along with a hardcore of die-hard supporters to provide the atmosphere and the energy. There were so many twists and turns along the way, culminating in a major success in the Champions Cup on a Super Sunday in Letterkenny on April 2, 2017. The headline that accompanied that famous victory summed up a club and the place it occupies in the hearts of all who were involved: ‘We did it for the Town’. Knowing what it took to scale the highest peak, beat the very best and claim silverware in a maiden season, it just has to be the special highlight for me in the sporting calendar year.

There’s been much discussion of late in terms of team and individual awards, especially on TV, and given the input of public voting such selections will always throw up some surprises. According to some the Dublin footballers didn’t receive their due reward in the various categories. Of course that’s simply a matter of opinion, but I always feel that you should judge a team and its individuals against the level of competition they play in, along with the strength and quality of the opposition they face. At the moment, in my opinion, and I certainly wouldn’t be alone in that respect, Gaelic football is a rank or two below hurling, whose Championship this season was far superior in terms of its appeal and competitiveness.

Galway hadn’t won the title for 29 years, and had won just four All-Irelands prior to this year, but are always seen as contenders much like the Cork footballers, even if they have won just seven senior titles in a 127-year span. Galway had lost seven finals since their last success, so there were shades of their footballing neighbours, Mayo, in that respect. As always, there was hope mixed with expectation within the county, but such had been the setbacks suffered down the years that belief in their credentials was probably limited outside of Galway. The National League final win and the manner of it over Tipperary, 3-21 0-14, made people sit up and take notice. Wins against Dublin (14 points), Offaly (19 points) and Wexford (9 points) afforded them the provincial title, but it was at this stage that the bar was raised to its maximum height. Question was, could they negotiate the final two hurdles with Tipp standing in their way at the penultimate stage?

It took a superb score from their standout performer Joe Canning at a defining moment to edge them over the line and into the decider against Waterford whose Championship record against them was quite good. Still some doubt existed as to whether or not they could deliver the final knockout blow, but they crowned the occasion with another excellent performance inspired by such individuals as Gearoid McInerney, team captain David Burke and, of course, Canning. Masterminded by manager Micheal O’Donoghue, who himself had won underage All Irelands as well as National League and Railway Cup medals during his own playing career, it was a sweet and famous victory for all concerned, and for me the supreme sporting highlight of the year. Galway completed the Grand Slam in hurling in a manner that owed much to their endeavour and expertise and the collective input of a team that when it mattered most ticked all of the boxes. The emotion on the day and the images portrayed in the days that followed conveyed what it meant to the Tribesmen. It was edge of the seat stuff at times, and as a spectacle it was simply enthralling. For me, they had winners in all of the award categories, Best Team, Top Manager, Greatest Player, Outstanding Score, and a Captain Fantastic in every sense of the word. To borrow a quote from the late, great Jimmy Magee, who sadly passed away this year, they were Different Class.