Damien Fitzhenry Retires

cruiserweight · 15-02-2010 11:55am #1

A legend of the modern game. Played in goals for Wexford with distinction for well over a decade. He also (briefly) played outfield for the hurlers and is an accomplished football player who was good enough to play at inter county level. The last of the 1996 All Ireland winning team to retire

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2010/0215/fitzhenryd.html

Pikeman · 15-02-2010 12:02pm

Hurling was blessed with three of the greatest keepers playing pretty much at the same time-the 2 Fitzy's and Cummins.

Fitzhenry was class-the best Wexford keeper (after Pat Nolan) and oft times was the winning of matches for us.
I was at all the games in his debut year, disappointed that he had replaced the mercurial Stoney Burke, and for a brief period, Pat Nolan's son in goals.
Little did I know what the Duffry man would add to Wexford hurling over the next few years.

His debut year was the usual "nearly men" story. A 3 game National League Final against Cork, which Cork eventually won and then the famous 93 Leinster Final against the Cats.
We had Kilkenny beat, and everyone remembers Billy Byrne in possession in the last minute, only to lose it and Eamon Morrissey slotting over the equalizing point down the other end, just before the whistle.
Kilkenny won handy enough the next day and went on to add to their All-Ireland tally.

Then it was Griffin time. 1995 was a horrible year-a loss to Meath in the League and a trimming from Offaly in the Leinster semi. Fitzy's career promised a lot in his debut year but had crashed all round him in the years after.
In those barren years, he was nearly always our best player though-super long puck outs too.

Can't remember what happened in 1996.

Fitzy had an amazing ability to pull off blinding saves. What made him stand out from other keepers was that he used to wait until the very last second, not until the ball was struck at him that is, to make his dive. So many keepers would be gone a second before the strike.
His saves frustrated a lot of forwards, so much so that I remember some of them through on goal but would tap the ball over the bar, such was his presence.

My favourite Fitzy save was against Martin Comerford, 2005 I think. Comerford gathered the ball, 25 yards out and tore down on goal, one and one. He hit an absolute rasper from about 14 yards out, Fitzy dived and somehow got to it. Amazing save.
Billy Dooley save stands out as well in the 97 Leinster semi in the last couple of minutes. A rasping shot, that Fitzy not only got down to save, but flick away, all in the one motion as Offaly forwards were waiting to pounce on the rebound.

He scored his fair share of important goals too-including 2 against Limerick in 01, 1 against Offaly in 96 and of course against Tipp in 07.

Another amazing thing about Fitzy too was that he pretty much always played out the field for his club in the senior championship-Cummins and d'other Fitzy did not. For a couple of years he was up there as the one of the most dangerous forwards in the county.

He was our keeper and he was a great one.

Cake Man · 15-02-2010 12:03pm

That's a blow to Wexford, he was a top keeper and a really good leader on the pitch. Great servant to Wexford down the years, wish him all the best.

cruiserweight · 15-02-2010 12:06pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thuesc0Y6UA

dcr22B · 15-02-2010 2:31pm

Pikeman wrote: »

Can't remember what happened in 1996.

Brilliant, bualadh bos. Mind a bit foggy eh Pikeman

Diabhal Beag · 15-02-2010 2:39pm

He could wack a ****ing penalty. One of the best keepers ever.

aidan24326 · 15-02-2010 2:43pm

Great keeper he was but all players must come to an end eventually. Hard to know who was the better between himself and Brendan Cummins, you'd be happy enough to have either.

RocketRonnie · 15-02-2010 2:48pm

Class act, best keeper over the last 2 decades imo...

deisedude · 15-02-2010 7:59pm

He will be on "off the ball" on newstalk after 8

The_Kew_Tour · 15-02-2010 8:36pm

met him once and was a gent

legend of keeper

Browney7 · 15-02-2010 8:41pm

He reduced me to tears in 2001 when he buried that 21 against Limerick in the last minute in the quarter final.

One of the best goalkeepers of this generation of that there is no question.

Stevecw · 15-02-2010 8:49pm

Thats a pity he's finished, a top class keeper over the years. One of the best i've ever seen.

cruiserweight · 17-02-2010 10:40am

A nice tribute in the Indo

http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/retiring-fitzhenry-best-keeper-of-era-2064736.html

AS glowing tributes greeted the inter-county retirement of Wexford goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry yesterday, Colm Bonnar said that the 35-year-old's lamented departure offers an opportunity for someone else.

"Only when a player of Damien's stature retires do you realise the massive gap he leaves behind," said Wexford manager Bonnar. "But as one door closes, another opens and there's a great chance now for someone else to make that position their own."

Dermot Flynn (Rathnure), who was rotated with Fitzhenry in last year's NHL, is in pole position to take over, but the Wexford panel also includes two more 'keepers in Noel Carton (Cloughbawn) and Mark Fanning (Glynn-Barntown), last year's minor netminder.

"Damien was a marvellous goal-keeper, one of the top three in Ireland all during his career," said Bonnar of the Duffry Rovers star, who first lined out for Wexford's seniors in 1993.

"People will point to his brilliant shot-stopping but Damien also had a marvellous puck-out and could vary and deliver them with pinpoint accuracy, which is increasingly a key part of the modern game."

Respected

Bonnar tried to get Fitzhenry to stay on for an 18th season but said he respected the veteran's decision to call it a day.

Fitzhenry revealed that he had given it a lot of thought.

"It wasn't a fly-by-night decision; I thought long and hard about it," stressed Fitzhenry. "But it's now time to give someone else a run at it.

"If you look at senior hurling at the minute, it's going into a serious game," he added.

"I don't think it's really about age, it's the amount of time and preparation and sacrifices that go into it. I have never faltered for 20 years to make those sacrifices but I think now is the time to move on to different things."

Fitzhenry won one All-Ireland, three Leinster senior titles and two All Stars (1997 and 2004) during an illustrious career.

He was the last member of Wexford's historic All-Ireland-winning team of 1996 to be still playing for the county.

Liam Griffin, their '96 manager, described him yesterday as "No 1 in the country in an era of absolutely fantastic goalkeepers".

"We will all miss him but I still think it is the right decision and I respect him for it," Griffin said. "What does that man owe Wexford? He was just a fantastic servant and such a loyal Wexford man."

Griffin said that one of Fitzhenry's special talents was his ability to double up as a last-line 'sweeper'.

There was rarely an inter-county game that Fitzhenry did not embellish with at least one of his trademark instinctive saves.

He also took penalties for the county, including two en route to their famous All-Ireland title in 1996.

Perhaps the most memorable performance of his Wexford career was the 2001 All-Ireland quarter-final against Limerick which finished with an extraordinary 4-10 to 2-15 scoreline.

Fitzhenry made an uncharacteristic error to concede a goal but then went on to score two himself.

The first was a penalty and the second was a rocket from a 20-metre free in the dying minutes which spectacularly snatched Wexford's one-point victory and prompted team-mate Larry Murphy's description of it as "a bolt of lightning".

Fitzhenry also made three sensational first-half saves in the subsequent semi-final against Tipperary.

He is also a talented dual player with Duffry Rovers where he plays outfield in football. Alongside his nine brothers, he helped the club win seven successive Wexford SFC titles from 1986-1992.