Davy Fitz interview: Sambo, Antrim, rugby's GAA solutions & All-Ireland climax

Irish Daily Mirror

7 days ago

Davy Fitzgerald says he has "unfinished business" with Antrim - but remains unsure about his future as he prepares to meet with Saffron bosses in the next 10 days.Fitzgerald is adamant that he has made progress with the players since his appointment on a two-year deal last August, although they finished bottom of the Leinster SHC round-robin series with no wins and were relegated to the Joe McDonagh Cup.His tenure drew criticism from Antrim legend Terence 'Sambo' McNaughton on the eve of the crucial final fixture against Offaly.McNaughton claimed that Fitzgerald threw the county's players and clubs 'under the bus' by saying he was 'going to teach the Antrim hurlers how to walk again'.Fitzgerald says now that McNaughton is entitled to his opinion but that he remains disappointed with the timing of the comments."Right now, there's no bitterness there," claimed the Clare man. "A small bit of disappointment, but no bitterness. The amount of clubs that rang me in Antrim after the Offaly game would surprise you, big clubs - and I'm delighted that they did. It meant the world to me. "Even aside from there being any potential personal element to it, it seemed fairly self-destructive from an Antrim man to do that interview in the week of such a big game for Antrim."Listen, it just was disappointing. That's all. You just don't need it. It probably hurt me a bit more because I really would have liked him and when you go into a county, the most important thing you need is backing. So I was just a bit disappointed. But it's over now, it's done."There was a lot of pressure on the Offaly game. But I was so proud of our lads. That day, 14 men after a few minutes, playing with a storm, it took us a small bit of time to settle and get into it, but we played unreal against a storm. "Offaly were red-hot favourites to beat us that day. What the lads showed that day was unreal - and it would give you hope for the future."There were certain times during the year, I looked at the lads and things we had worked on, and people said to me it wasn't a great year, but I could see certain points where we were doing stuff that was great."I was really proud and those boys can hurl. And all of us together, management and the panel, we gave everything."Fitzgerald turned down the chance to stay with Waterford last summer because he needed a break but, five weeks later, he was persuaded to take the Antrim post.He has loved working with the players - "as good lads to train as you'd ever train", said Fitzgerald. "We identified five or six different areas. We worked on them consistently. Did they improve in those areas? I think if you ask them, they did. Are you going to do it in four or five months? No. But we knew that coming in. "Are the results a lot different to where they were in the last few years? Not really. They were in relegation against Carlow last year. A man sent off, it could have gone any way. The year before, it was Westmeath. They got relegated the year before that."It's the same type of result, right? But I did actually enjoy working with them. The clubs, I have to tell you, top-class. Even the support. The calls I would have got even after the Offaly game from some of the clubs in support, brilliant. County board, top-class. So, they're the pluses."But it meant taking on close to an 850km round trip two or three times a week - and there were times when, Fitzgerald admits, he struggled with that side of it."I struggled with the travel, 100%. This was different gravy compared to driving to Wexford or Waterford. And I'm very conscious that Colm is 27, 28 now and Daithí Óg is three. I missed him like crazy every weekend.
"But their enthusiasm, I actually love them up there. I know we had Sambo being a bit negative, that's going to happen and you accept that. But I got a lot of support up there."It's a big decision going forward, I need to sit down and have a right good chat. I left myself alone after and I didn't want to think about it, but now I've started to talk to a few people. I've done a report."Myself and (his wife) Sharon need to have another conversation about it. There has to be a number of boxes ticked from my point and from their point. "Unless Davy Fitz is 100% in it with his drive and his goal, he's no good. I need to make sure that's the way, to make sure I'm OK with the travel. The county, how they are to me, it couldn't be better. "I love being a part of them boys. Do I think if I was to stay for the next two or three years that it could make a difference? Yeah. I'm saying that. I'd be very confident."
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Davy Fitzgerald wants to cut out the conflict between managers and match officials - and says the GAA can do it by introducing a rugby-style coaches box and better communications.The Antrim boss was slapped with an eight-week ban for 'misconduct considered to have discredited the Association' after he was charged for comments criticising match official Johnny Murphy after the Saffrons' Leinster loss to Galway in May.Fitzgerald claimed that he was 'despised' by some match officials and he took aim at Murphy, who was a linesman in the game where Antrim's Declan McCloskey was sent off in the first half for an off the ball incident.
"Most of the people in the stadium saw exactly what happened," said Fitzgerald yesterday. "Was it the difference between being beaten 20-something points and maybe being beaten by 10 or 12 points? 100%.
"There should have been two gone in that instance. I asked at half time, did you not see the second one, and I was aggressively told something which I did not like.
"Had I run-ins with Johnny Murphy before? I had. Did I tell lies afterwards? I didn't. I said what I felt. That was it, got my suspension. Does everybody get treated the same way? I don't know. I got a suspension last year - I didn't abuse Liam Gordon last year. "I look at other things that have happened this year. I'm not going to comment on it. I could pick different examples. I'm not saying I don't deserve it at times, I'm saying that it has to be across the board."Fitzgerald insists that it is time for change after a number of incidents where managers or backroom staff have confronted match officials."It shouldn't be them and us," declared the Clare man, who has had a number of high-profile run-ins with referees over the years. "You have seen confrontations. Apart from me, you have seen it."Even outside of the Munster final, you've seen different other things that have happened. I could pick another two games where there has been roaring and shouting at referees."I'll always get picked out. That's grand, I don't mind that. How do we try not for that to happen? It's easy saying Davy is giving out to referees - what I'm trying to say now is maybe there's a solution to this."He argues that what the management teams want to see is consistency from officials and this is where his proposal comes in.Fitzgerald is a big fan of the communication channels that are used in rugby, where head coaches talk to the referee in the week leading up to a game to get clarity over how they want to officiate certain aspects, and in the days afterwards they can talk to a referee's chief about how incidents were dealt with.He would love to see that introduced in the GAA, along with an independent panel to work alongside referees chiefs to review incidents. Fitzgerald says that has spoken to a number of referees the day after games. "Some of the referees are incredible," he said. "They'll talk to you the next day. Do you know what? That makes you feel a lot better. I've asked them questions and said, 'I got that wrong', or else they've told me what they've seen and I've said, 'OK, I kind of didn't think that'. It allows you an avenue where you can have a chat and do it."I'd love to see the night before or before the game that you have 10 minutes with him and he says to you, 'This is what I'm looking for, A, B, C and D.' There's dialogue there. There's chat. "In rugby, you can talk to the referee days before the game. I like it. You have an idea even what way to train the team because you're looking at it, I think that's sensible."I think the following day, if I want to ask the referee, 'listen, that call, can you just explain to me what you saw?', there should be a channel at least."Fitzgerald is also a big fan of the rugby-style coaches boxes and would love to see them introduced in intercounty GAA games, with a runner allowed on the sideline to make one or two changes per half.He commented: "Do we need to be on the sideline? Is it just to be seen? Everyone would probably think that I'd love to be in there. No, if it would make life easier for the referees. You look at the Andy Farrells, they have their information there and their stats teams. "I'm trying to think outside the box and see if there's something that would help this whole situation - communication channels opened, take management off the sideline and allow roam runners."
Davy Fitzgerald was on the Dublin bandwagon well before their shock All-Ireland quarter-final win over Limerick. He was hugely impressed by the Dubs in their Leinster championship win over his Antrim side at Corrigan Park.
"If you looked at my interview afterwards it was very calculated where I said they were unreal organised," he said. "I felt they were different than I had seen Dublin in a long time.
"I remember saying it down at home and Sharon kept saying to a few people, 'you said Dublin was probably as good a team as you came across this year.' I thought that he (Niall Ó Ceallacháin) had them very organised.
"We knew having watched them in the first Championship game or two that they were working the ball out and Chris Crumley was getting a lot of ball and they were building with him.
"We tried to pressurise them hard, they still found a way to get the ball out. They were able to do short, they were able to do long, I've been massively impressed by them."
Fitzgerald can't wait for the All-Ireland semi-finals the weekend after next as Dublin take on Cork and Kilkenny prepare to face Tipperary.
"Do Dublin have a chance? Yeah. I think any of the four teams have a chance," he said. "Cork have the slight edge, Kilkenny, can they win it? Yeah. It wouldn't shock me if any of the four won it. I couldn't pick a winner now.
"It would be unreal if Dublin won it. As a neutral, it's great. It's f***ing great. Let's have it."
*Davy Fitzgerald was speaking at the launch of the 24th annual Circet All-Ireland GAA Golf Challenge in aid of GAA-related charities at Michael Lyng Motors (Ford) in Kilkenny