The gospel according to Davy Fitzgerald hasn’t changed much over the last 30 years although it has clearly mellowed. It’s not that he doesn’t take hurling as seriously anymore. Never. But rather himself – or at least what matters most.
Gone is the look of a man with a bit of weight on his shoulders and the sense that something, someone, somewhere might be ailing him. Gone is the occasionally absent stare off into the distance.
Not gone is Fitzgerald’s mischievous smile, still unbroken after his now 30 years of service to the intercounty game, as both goalkeeper and manager, including the last five years as Clare manager, four years with Waterford before that, and now an initial two-year stint with Wexford.
His doctor may not entirely approve – minor heart surgery last summer another reminder of Fitzgerald’s fragile health in recent years – although he insists there is nowhere else he’d rather be this year than down along the sidelines.
“No, my doctor wasn’t the happiest to hear I got involved with Wexford,” says Fitzgerald, speaking in Croke Park ahead of this weekend’s opening round of the Allianz Hurling League. “He thought maybe a year or two out would do me no harm. But I am more conscious about myself, take care of myself, because I want to be around for a few years yet.
“And I definitely value things way more. Your health is everything. I don’t think you realise that until someone close to you or maybe yourself gets rattled a little bit. You have all these ideas and plans, x, y and z. But you’ve got to be healthy. I thought for a long time I was invincible.
Incident
“It’s all about people. I still take things to heart. When you lose, you get some grief, you feel it. And that’s tough. I try not to let it get to me as much. Two years ago, there was an incident which hurt me unreal.
“I was accused of being x, y and z. I knew it was the farthest thing from the truth. And that’s hard, because I would like to think I’m a good person. I make mistakes, same as everyone else, but I’m always looking to make sure lads are okay, outside of hurling as well. You have to be tough at times, of course. I’ve made a few changes, but need to make more, be more healthy.”
Wexford haven’t won the league since 1973, and it’s now 21 years since their last All-Ireland success. No surprise then that Fitzgerald senses some considerable anticipation in the county.
“The expectation, inside the county, you’re trying to manage a small bit, because I can see their enthusiasm. They’re chomping at the bit. The only thing you worry about is ‘are they getting a bit too excited?’ The players are a fantastic bunch of guys, and from a coaching and tactical point of view, I know they’re really taking it in.
“Definitely, the potential is there. There are fantastic hurlers there, they’ll do anything you ask. But I’ll learn more, in the big games. You only see x–amount on the training field. It’s between the white lines, when the pressure is on, that’s when I’m going to know what the story is. But I can’t say a bad word against the guys, and pushed them pretty hard over the last months, because we have to hit the ground running.”
What exactly does Fitzgerald think was holding them back?
“I’d have played Wexford quite a few times with Clare, and chatted to Liam Dunne [previous Wexford manager], and he tried a lot, did okay. But it’s a number of years since they’ve been competitive, that’s being honest. And I think some lack the confidence to get over the finish line. Like even playing Kilkenny in the Walsh Cup, we had the game for the winning. We’ve got to learn to kill when you get in a position like that.
Tempo
“They haven’t beaten enough top teams in the last few years. We’ve got to get used to crossing the line. The same tempo all the time. And consistent. And that’s something I’m trying to achieve the next two years.
“I did 50, 55 per cent of the coaching with Clare. Same with Waterford. I love managing, this formation, that formation, how can I get into a lad, what can I do? New drills, new things to do, and I love that. And they’re only dying to win something. They really, really want it, so they do. If anything, some of them are pushing too hard, one or two of them.
“I just want them to go out and express themselves, let go. Anything that comes in front of you, take it off them, and tackle them, and beat them. And see where we go from there.”
Fitzgerald has no regrets about either the timing or manner of his exit from Clare last year.
“There are a lot of great Clare supporters, I’d do anything for them. And my heart will always be in Clare. You always get negative people, but I’m proud of what I’m doing. It is a bit more difficult, with your own county, whereas below in Wexford, I don’t want to know that.”
He is, however, still “bitterly disappointed” by comments made by former Clare team-mate Brian Lohan, with regard to an injury picked up last year by Tony Kelly during training for the Fitzgibbon Cup. “I played with Brian, the best full-back I’ve ever come around. Over the last two or three years, for some reason, he’s had a go at me. I adore Brian Lohan, so I do. He’s a good man, and hopefully he can forget about it now.”
