The new inter-county senior hurling manager has agreed a one-year deal to replace Justin McCarthy and has put in place an impressive backroom team which includes former Shannonside heroes Ciaran Carey, TJ Ryan and Pat Heffernan.
All in Limerick, from supporters to players to officials, will be hoping that the arrival of the former Cork All-Ireland winning manager will bring an end to a turbulent 11 months.
Speaking to Leader Sport this Tuesday Donal O’Grady said that “everyone” would be considered for selection in 2011.
“My way is that when I come into a new position with any group I draw a line under everything in the past,” said O’Grady who confirmed that he will be in the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday week for the county hurling final between Kilmallock and Emmets.
“Everything is old, everyone will have a clean sheet, a blank canvass.”
He added: “Everyone deserves a chance to play for Limerick.
“For me history doesn’t start until January 1, 2011 and every player will be considered.”
Out of the blue
The 56-year-old retired secondary school principal has been out of inter-county management since departing his native Cork at the end of a two-year term which yielded the 2004 All-Ireland title.
“This came up out of the blue,” he said of the Limerick position.
“I was approached last week to know if I would be interested. I met the Appointments Committee and then made up my mind and met the selectors on Monday night,” Donal O’Grady explained.
Appointment process
The Independent Appointments Committee of Damien Quigley, Paudie Fitzmaurice and Jim Woulfe set about their task after the July monthly meeting of the Limerick County Board. It was always within their remit to source a manager from outside those nominated by the clubs and from the outset Donal O’Grady was rumoured as a potential successor to Justin McCarthy. Out-going manager McCarthy was among the nine nominated by the clubs along with Ciaran Carey, TJ Ryan, Gary Kirby, Leo O’Connor, Val Murnane, Dave Keane, John Tuohy and John Allen.
After over two months of interviews and deliberations the three-man committee got their man this Monday night when Donal O’Grady met with his new selectors in the Charleville Park Hotel.
“I am delighted that they are on board. They all bring something different to the management team. These guys are Limerick to their finger tips and are all very enthusiastic. It’s a very strong management team,” Donal O’Grady said of Carey, Ryan and Heffernan.
As of now no physical trainer has been announced while issues such as a liaison officer and other elements of the back room team will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
One-year term
O’Grady has agreed to stay with Limerick for just the 2011 season and it is his wish that one of his selectors could step into his shoes the following season - just as John Allen did in Cork.
“My opinion is that I felt that Limerick should be able to look after itself and that there should be some sort of succession path. My feeling all along is that there would be enough managerial talent in Limerick to look after themselves, but they felt they needed someone to bring stability and maybe because I came in with Cork after 2002 that I was the right person. I suppose my role would be to bring in some structures and to put some things in place so that Limerick will be able to carry on by themselves after me,” he outlined.
“It’s a bit of a challenge, it’s safe to say,” said the former Rebel full-back.
“The challenge appealed to me and Limerick is not a million miles away from me. I always enjoyed the coaching side of things. I don’t think it would have appealed to me if I was approached by a club to allow my name go forward, but it was different when I was sought out and I decided to give it a lash,” he explained.
The decision wasn’t take lightly.
“It’s a major decision and commitment. There is a degree of travel, late nights, dealing with journalists etc.”
Attention to detail
Donal O’Grady is known for his attention to detail and his man-management skills.
“There is a awful lot of work to do to get all the small things right and I am a firm believer that you start with the small things and everything else will fall into place. And, I would always think that a team is like a pyramid. You have to make the base very solid, the bottom has to be right and the right things have to be in place with relation to the training and so on as well as logistical matters. They are the kind of things that maybe have been missing in my opinion. I won’t really know until I get in there, but that’s the role I see for myself in the coming year.”
But it’s a return to the training field that tempted O’Grady to return to inter-county management: “Coaching enthuses me and most coaches like the opportunity to coach at the top level. I want to get the players to play the best they can and put a system and structure in place to ensure that. My attitude has always been, whether it was an under-14, under-16 or senior team, that I was there to get the best from the players.”
For many an instant return to division one of the National Hurling League would be paramount, but Donal O’Grady was warned of the dangers of division two.
“I think it’s a huge challenge. The standard is rising in that division - look at Antrim reaching the All-Ireland quarter-final and the likes of Carlow and Laois are on the rise. It’s mentally tough to get out of that division. It is a very difficult situation because every team in division two will feel Limerick are a big scalp so it will be a huge challenge for Limerick,” Donal O’Grady said.
“Firstly the most important thing to do will be to get to know the players and maybe put together the strongest panel possible. I would always hope to take it on from there.
“As a manager I would never say that we are going to win this competition or to win that competition. I would hope to put belief into the players and to bring out their potential and I can’t do anymore than that.”
Facing Cork
Limerick’s relegation earlier this year also helped make up O’Grady’s mind.
“One attraction was that they won’t be meeting Cork - I would find that a bit awkward. As I said Cork are in division one and Limerick are in division two so hopefully they won’t meet one another. That was one thing that was very attractive to me about the job before I took it. I would hope that won’t happen. If it happens, it happens,” said the St. Finbarr’s club-man.
A hurling analyst in recent years on radio, television and with the Irish Examiner O’Grady is well aware of the “traumatic” year that Limerick just been through. Dual players and discipline are just two of the “issues” he will have to address.
“We will cross those bridges when we come to them,” he said.
“They are three to four months down the line.”
O’Grady said he will “introduce good practise”.
“We will lay down guidelines and parameters and hope that the player adhere to them. It’s up to everyone to do what they want to. It’s a decision for every individual,” he said of dual players.
“From what I am hearing a lot of that talk was mythical,” O’Grady said when discussing rumours of indiscipline in recent years.
But he added that he expects high standards from his players and that for many of them: “They know it will be sink or swim”.
This Wednesday evening (September 22) Donal O’Grady was expected to be officially ratified at a County Board club delegate meeting in Claughaun.
Jerome O’Connell
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