Farewell Davy Fitz...

MrJoeSoap

No thread on it here though it happened four days ago.

So the curtain comes down on one of the great, emblematic images of a hurling summer.

Davy Fitzgerald's inter-county retirement drains some colour from the old game at a time when it has rarely yearned for it more. Gone forever then, the gunpowder eruption from the tunnel, the sparky, jitterbug run, the ritual infliction of GBH on crossbar, advertising hoardings or any inanimate object that came to be in the vicinity of the Clare goal.

Kilkenny's routine brilliance, coupled with a suspicion that their two nearest challengers of recent times -- Cork and Waterford -- may be pressed for time, will have many pining for the mid-90s again when Fitzgerald and Clare exploded upon the hurling landscape like an electric storm.

He was exceptional in an era of great goalkeepers but, more than that, the man known in every GAA household simply as 'Davy Fitz' will go down in history as one of the game's most charismatic figures.

In his prime, Fitzgerald didn't so much keep goal for Clare as set down a template of defiance. He was incorrigibly competitive, frequently challenging opposition forwards to try their luck against his famously cat-like reflexes.

With Clare in their pomp from '95 to '99, Fitzgerald's value to the team was pretty unambiguous. In Ger Loughnane's official biography, 'Raising the Banner', the former Clare boss described Fitzgerald's status within the dressing-room in an almost reverential tone.

Loughnane wrote: "He has nerves of steel. He would never show the slightest fear in a competitive hurling situation. He would have faced a pride of starving lions."

Describing a save from a DJ Carey penalty in the '97 All-Ireland semi-final as the greatest he had ever seen, Loughnane observed: "DJ connected with it perfectly. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, it would have been a goal, but Davy Fitz made a stunning save. He wanted it and was defying DJ to hit it as hard as he could."

He could be game-keeper turned poacher too, Fitzgerald's own ability to strike a venomous penalty coming to Clare's aid on a number of occasions, most memorably towards the end of the drawn Munster Championship game against Tipperary in '99.

True, his abrasive personality didn't always endear him to opposition fans and the Sixmilebridge man was subjected to some of the vilest personal abuse imaginable in recent years. Yet his game-persona always obscured the man behind the name. Christy O'Connor, once sub-goalkeeper to him with Clare, wrote succinctly in his book 'Last Man Standing' of "the changing shades" of Fitzgerald's personality.

"After the fire, comes the ice," wrote O'Connor.

That description was certainly apposite last year as Fitzgerald defied red-blooded caricature by maintaining a dignified silence during his controversial exile from the Clare team. Indeed, to this day, he has never spoken publicly of his disillusionment with the Tony Considine regime.

But, then, Fitzgerald's success in management has always flown in the face of any depiction of him as a smoking gun.

Negligible

He coached Limerick IT to two Fitzgibbon Cup wins in the last four years (they were beaten in extra-time in this year's final) despite the college having a negligible hurling tradition when he took over. Former Galway boss, Cyril Farrell, has been part of Fitzgerald's back-room team in Limerick and sees him as an inter-county manager of the near future.

"I think it's only a matter of time before a smart county snaps him up and gives him a three-year term" says Farrell. "He's very advanced in his methods. He has all the scientific stuff, but he's got the hurling background too.

"His coaching is fantastic, top-class. To me, Davy Fitz will improve any hurler he gets time to work with, whatever the standard. People have this idea of Davy from his playing days, this thing of he'd kill anyone to win. But he's a completely different character as manager. I know some

people can hardly believe it's the same person."

That's a view echoed by current Galway prodigy, Joe Canning, who has hurled with LIT for the last two seasons.

Canning said last night: "He's a very driven man, you can see it in everything he does. It's 100pc or nothing. People look at him and think he's mad, because they just see the passion. But he's totally inspirational.

"His training sessions are incredible. You're never hanging around for the same drill.

"Everything moves at speed. He has to be one of the best managers around."

Despite his intense involvement as a player (he is now into his 19th successive season keeping goal for Sixmilebridge), Fitzgerald has, effectively, been coaching teams for the last 16 years, guiding Inagh to the Intermediate Championship in Clare and Ennistymon to the Junior title.

He has also coached his own club's minors and U-21s to county titles as well as worked as a kind of hurling missionary in counties like Antrim and Kildare.

Yet, playing for Clare was always his greatest passion and last night's decision will have been taken with a heavy heart.

Fitzgerald is known to have a high regard for current manager Mike MacNamara but simply believes that current Clare goalkeeper Philip Brennan is deserving of the jersey now.

It is thought that he has not entirely ruled out a possible return to county colours, should an 'emergency' situation arise. But Davy Fitz's future is outside the whitewash now.

It's unlikely to be inconspicuous.

Legend of a hurler, one of the greats of the modern era. His drive, commitment and passion are exemplary and his retirement is a sad loss for the sport. I've read that Last Man Standing book recently and his story is probably the best in it. Fair play Davy.

An incredible management career beckons I feel...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLkZDAhNn38

Sherifu

His drive, commitment and passion are what i'll always remember him for. Great keeper too though. He did look crazy sometimes on the pitch, I wouldn't mess with him.

MrJoeSoap

Sherifu wrote: »

His drive, commitment and passion are what i'll always remember him for. Great keeper too though. He did look crazy sometimes on the pitch, I wouldn't mess with him.

Lost half a finger in a game in October. Somehow think that if it happened 15 years ago it wouldn't have stopped him one little bit.

Danno

Davey was one of the most animated faces on the field of play and will be sadly missed.

daraghmack

Legend - Will be missed!!

Green Giant

A fantastic servant of hurling for Sixmilebridge (my club, incidentally) and Clare. Davy Fitz owes club and county absolutely nothing

gucci

A legend of the game, with a real winners mentality. He will be remembered by many all over ireland for his major part in a clare team which helped raise the profile of the game in the 1990s

megadodge

Absolute legend !!

I'll miss him.

Moreso even than his passion the one thing I loved about him was his defiance. After losing an All-Ireland to Kilkenny in what looked like that great Clare team's last stand, Davey in an interview that night said something along the lines of "nobody will tell me I won't win another All-Ireland, nobody".
Even when the writing was on the wall his out-and-out belief in himself and his winner's mentality came to the fore.

From his already impressive coaching record I'm certain he'll go on to be a very good inter-county manager.

Marse

Great Servant to the game.

john concannon

There was nothing better for the neutral then seeing Davy score a penalty and run a good hundred metres to get back in goal.We need more characters like him.
Best of luck Davy Fitz

Kristopherus

Best Of luck, Davy, in whatever you do or wherever you go. Legends like you don't come along very often.:)

john concannon

Good news everybody!
Davy Fitz was an analyst tonight on Sunday Sport.He was careful not to overpraise Joe Cannning.

gaeilgegrinds

What's the deal with people trying not to overpraise him though?! He's good! Praise where it's due!

john concannon

If you are talking about davy fitz the reason he is so popular is for his hunger,skill and skills.
If you are talking about Canning there is already another thread for him.

Jimoslimos

john concannon wrote: »

There was nothing better for the neutral then seeing Davy score a penalty and run a good hundred metres to get back in goal.We need more characters like him.
Best of luck Davy Fitz

Y'know I never quite got this. If an intercounty team doesnt have 6 forwards (or even any of the 14 outfield players) perfectly capable of blasting the sliothar into the net from a penalty....

But yeah he will be missed, inspirational players are rare and inspirational goalies even rarer.

gucci

Jimoslimos wrote: »

Y'know I never quite got this. If an intercounty team doesnt have 6 forwards (or even any of the 14 outfield players) perfectly capable of blasting the sliothar into the net from a penalty....

But yeah he will be missed, inspirational players are rare and inspirational goalies even rarer.

Outfield players didnt have a hurley weighing about 2 stone and with a bás on it the size of a shovel.........couldnt really miss :eek:

Evil_Clown

gucci wrote: »

Outfield players didnt have a hurley weighing about 2 stone and with a bás on it the size of a shovel.........couldnt really miss :eek:

Him also being Puc fada champion meant that he could strike a sliotar pretty hard, which also helped

CyberDave

megadodge wrote: »

Absolute legend !!
From his already impressive coaching record I'm certain he'll go on to be a very good inter-county manager.

With Clare. No doubt. With his passion and commitment. He could very well lead the second coming of the banner. I would love to see it. That kind of enthusiasm rubs off on a team and makes them believe in their own ability.