Stakes getting higher for Fitzgibbon stars

University College Cork take on Mary Immaculate College in today’s Fitzgibbon Cup final.

Stakes getting higher for Fitzgibbon stars

University College Cork take on Mary Immaculate College in today’s Fitzgibbon Cup final.

Third-level success has become more significant as a pipeline for senior achievement, though former Cork star Tom Kenny sees those running on parallel tracks.

Kenny starred in red-and-black himself and coached UCC to last year’s Cork senior hurling club semi-final and, along with fellow Cork star Seán Óg Ó hAilpín, trains the Cork college’s freshers.

“I think it’s very important for the likes of Mark Coleman, Shane Kingston, all of these lads, to be winning.

"It’s important that they fall back in with Cork, knowing they can play against the very best of players from Kilkenny, Tipperary, Limerick, wherever, and beat them in tight, competitive games.

“That’s something worth having in the back of your mind for any inter-county player. Even going back to my own time playing, there was a lot of importance placed on the Fitzgibbon, and, obviously, it was good for a player to come into an intercounty set-up with a Fitzgibbon medal to their name, rather than being touted as one for the future based on performances as an underage player.

"When you win a Fitzgibbon, that’s hard currency to have in the bank, in terms of your reputation.”

Kenny says, however, that third-level careers “are almost happening at the same time” as senior inter-county careers: “At the moment, there’s a slight sense of the cart before the horse, when it comes to bringing players through to senior set-ups.

“Going back in time, you went to school, to college, and that was the shop window for you to catch the eye for inclusion on an inter-county panel.

“Now, though, the intercounty panels are so young that the two are almost happening at the same time; players are establishing themselves at inter-county level at practically the same time as college level, taking the lessons they learn in the latter straight into inter-county play.

“I’m led to believe that, this year, Cork have recognised that and given players still in college much more leeway in terms of playing Fitzgibbon, rather than training those long winter nights in December, January, and February and falling in only for third-level matches.

“And I think that leeway has shown in those matches, in their performances.”

Initiatives like that mean colleges players bloom later in the year, he adds: “I don’t want to keep going back to my own time, but, back then, the likes of Tommy Walsh, Cha Fitzpatrick, and Michael Rice came down to UCC and were touted as future Kilkenny seniors, and they used the Fitzgibbon as a springboard for their county careers.

It’s come full circle to an extent, now, in that I think managers at inter-county level are beginning to recognise that success at third-level can lead to better performances with inter-county teams later in the summer.

Winter conditions test player character. “But that cliche is true, at the same time,” says Kenny.

“If it comes time to reel in a two-point lead with a couple of minutes left, you can learn a lot about doing that in November or December in a third-level game. You’d certainly learn that, in those circumstances, it’s not necessarily the most skilful player who’ll get you over the line.

“That can’t be overstated, the value of that kind of experience, camaraderie; the bond and competitiveness certainly builds a better player, ultimately. There are precautions that have to be taken, obviously. I don’t think players at third-level should have to play in the Munster senior hurling league or the McGrath Cup, for example.

"The Fitzgibbon, to me, should be played in the month of January, and then there’s no overlap with the national league.

“The players wouldn’t have to put up with messing about with fixtures and can fall in with their county for the national league when they’re finished with the college.”

Will UCC make it a Fitzgibbon-Sigerson double today?

It’s not a given. Jamie Wall is over Mary I, and he’s a very good coach, with a very good record. Mary I have won two of the last four Fitzgibbon Cups, though with UCC winning the Sigerson Cup during the week, there might be an added incentive for them to win the double, though that might be added pressure, as well.

"Looking at the names that UCC have, you’d be thinking they could be enough to get them over the line, but it certainly won’t be easy. There’ll be more in UCC coming back to the Cork set-up, but Luke Meade is playing with Mary I, so there’ll be a winning attitude brought back to the Cork set-up either way.”

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