TURLOUGH O’BRIEN ON DRIVING CARLOW’S RISING
Turlough O’Brien looks back on his time as Carlow manager with huge pride but insists much more can be done in terms of funding and competition structures to bring on so-called weaker counties
can compete - if they are given the tools to do it.
‘By this hiving off of counties into a Tier Two competition, I feel it will do more long-term damage.
‘When you look at professional sport and how they can take actions – positive discrimination if you like. In the NFL where they have the draft for the weakest team. UEFA are supposedly doing Financial Fair Play. Here we are a volunteer, amateur organisation and we don’t seem to be able to imagine other ways of doing things.’
So what form would that take? ‘One thing is competition structures. They are lob-sided. You have 12 counties in Leinster, five in Connacht. It doesn’t make sense to have a competition based on that. If we had an even structure…
‘There is tradition then of counties expecting to win. Kerry expect to win. Kilkenny expect to win. Dublin expect to win. Carlow expect to lose. Wicklow expect to lose. Leitrim expect to lose. This has been bred into us by the structures we have.
We need to break that chain.
‘Some counties then have phenomenal opportunity to raise funds themselves. But they are also getting phenomenal funding from the GAA. We really have to make big decisions around that. What the GAA did for Dublin as part of the Strategic Review, invested all this money in coaching in Dublin, was brilliant. It was the right thing to do at the time. And it has been fantastic for the GAA because we do need a strong GAA in Dublin. But we also need a strong GAA elsewhere as well.
‘We have to reassess these things on a more regular basis.’
A coaching fair play model then, at least in terms of funding. And perhaps, given the population divide, a look at eligibility.
‘There are inequalities in population between counties, there isn’t a lot we can do about that. But maybe there could be some relaxation about the rules of eligibility for counties – now I haven’t thought too much about it.’
The highlights then, as he looks back? ‘Getting promotion from Division 4 was hugely important. That was a massive, massive thing. The Championship performances. Against Wexford, Louth, Kildare, Dublin, Tyrone and Monaghan – they were phenomenal performances. Great days out.
‘For me, the highlight of the week was going to the training field Tuesday, Thursday. We’d a great bunch of players. Such unity in the camp. Like a club team, really.
‘A load of players had seen nothing but bad days and showed a lot of heart to stick with it. Qualities that winners have – perseverance, resilience. It can be very easy to be committed to a Dublin or Kerry – come down and play in the winter in National League Division 4 and things aren’t going well and you’re asking lads to come to the field three and four times a week. Nobody going to games or those who are going are giving out. That’s commitment.
‘So it was great to have 35 lads buzzing and bouncing and eager to learn.’
There were tough days as well, particularly in the last 18 months. Losing the plot on the line against
Down after a disputed free – plus the game, and ultimately League promotion – went against Carlow in the spring of last year. The 20-week suspension that followed for ‘threatening conduct’ against the referee.
Mea culpa, he says. While his passion for his county is a part of his identity, did he need to be more detached at times like that? ‘You would regret some of the things that happened. When you get suspensions for giving out to referees, it’s not good. There’s no point in saying anything else. The rules are the rules.
‘When you’ve been involved in Carlow football for as long as I have, we’ve had a lot worse. The National Leagues the last two years. You say Carlow went up and came straight back down. Take this year’s League. All those games we dropped points, we were leading in injury-time. We were really close to having a great season again. That’s sport.
‘The players didn’t lose belief. I was really confident that we were going to give the Championship a right battle.’
And he’s sure they will. Just with a different hand at the tiller.
As for the bigger picture? The shop local, support local, message from the government is one that resonates.
‘I think there is huge learning in this whole Covid thing. We’re going to have to change our lifestyles. We’re beginning to value what’s on our doorstep.’
A simple truth he’s understood all along.