McGrath has ramped up the pressure – on himself
People forget, for years we had Leagues that were total rubbish
WATERFORD hurling manager Derek McGrath is passionate about his teaching profession and De La Salle College. For him to admit he has taken parental leave for the rest of the school year to concentrate on giving everything to the county senior team ties back into what I’ve been saying for some time: the pressures around the inter-county scene are just crazy.
Finding a proper balance is becoming more difficult. It’s a sign of McGrath’s commitment and drive. His honesty on a whole range of topics is striking. His approach is so refreshing – he says what’s on his mind. Is that naive when so many others deal in cliches and give nothing away? I don’t know.
Clearly, winning with Waterford is the most important thing for him right now as his team prepare for a League game against Clare to decide their final standing Division 1A. When he talks about 60 hours a week taken up by managing the side, it shows you the level it’s at.
It’s not a new phenomenon for managers to be effectively full-time. Go back to Mick O’Dwyer’s time, particularly when he was in charge of Laois and Wicklow.
Look at Davy Fitzgerald. He has his work with LIT and television commitments, but has always put so much time into management.
It’s often said that being county manager only suits teachers. Brian Cody is just one name on a list that’s as long as your arm. Off for the summer, gone at three or four o’clock in the afternoon, it fits the bill perfectly. But McGrath’s admission shows how that isn’t even enough.
It’s gone to a whole new level. I remember looking through the Dublin senior football team a few years ago and there was only a limited number in full-time employment. You’re finding that a lot of players on county squads are students or looking at teaching to fit around inter-county. Holding down a successful career is becoming harder.
McGrath’s move highlights the madness of it all, the pressure now involved.
Now he’s said himself that this is just his way of approaching it, that he was finding game plans running through his head while trying to teach. Another personality might find it different.
But his move does bring a lot of personal pressure on being manager – and, specifically, on the game against Clare at Ennis.
He’s put it on himself, but he needs to be careful because he can only do so much. It’s the players who must deliver.
This is a huge game but both counties have won the League the past couple of seasons so it’s more about winning the All-Ireland.
It’s hard to see either dropping down the relegation trap door given the quality they possess.
Waterford are in that top three or four contenders. Clare have fallen a little bit behind but have great potential, especially with Tony Kelly and Colm Galvin back available.
Bar the likes of Tipperary, who have such depth, very few counties can afford to lose a top player or two. When you’re trying to make the breakthrough, you need everybody. Clare will be much stronger with them on board.
This year’s League has been so unpredictable in terms of results.
Kilkenny looked to have turned a bit of a corner with the thrilling draw against Tipperary. The spring is back in their step.
Dublin have shown flashes of good hurling, but it will be tough with Kilkenny looking to avoid the relegation play-off.
Cork are hard to figure out. When on song, they look like they really could go places. It will be interesting to see what team Tipp put out against them with a play-off spot already assured. Michael Ryan has been chopping and changing, basically keeping one main man in every line of the team and trying out others.
They won’t want to offer Cork any encouragement. If any team can spring up, it’s Cork, and you can see elements of that in new young forwards Luke Meade and Shane Kingston.
In Division 1B, Galway and Limerick have seen Wexford bursting their bubble by securing promotion already.
The Wexford game summed up the frustrating nature of Galway. Well ahead at different stages, they lacked the ruthless streak to finish. It’s happened before in drawn matches with Kilkenny that they could or should have won. Limerick are still trying to find their feet.
It remains to be seen if talk of reverting to an eight-team Division 1 comes to pass. If you go back to eight teams, then chances are that relegated teams will make instant returns. The intense, five-match format in 1A and 1B has made things hugely competitive.
There is so little room for error. Just look at the 15,000 people who showed for Tipp versus Kilkenny. In an eight-team League, the matches wouldn’t matter to the same extent.
The teams in Division 1B, too, get a couple of big games. Offaly were hammered by Galway but recovered well. If you go with a top eight, the second tier doesn’t have the same calibre. That takes from it. People forget why these changes were made. We had years of rubbish Leagues.
There’s plenty of talk, too, about Championship change. When you tie in the commitment of everyone involved, the time invested, the second chance format was brought in as a result.
More big matches will only help the game. I’d do it quickly.
I remember O’Connor Park in Tullamore hosting a sell-out Championship replay between Galway and Kilkenny. Over 18,000 turned out on a Saturday evening. That sort of a buzz is priceless.