Davy Fitz – a Saffron Gael

As Davy Fitzgerald agrees terms with Antrim senior hurlers, Derek Dormer spoke with the Sixmilebridge man about his move, media begrudgery and following his instincts.

The only manager in the history of the GAA to have won the top five competitions in hurling namely the All-Ireland, National League, Munster, Leinster and Fitzgibbon Cup titles will now embark on a new venture following his stepping down in what was his second stint as Waterford boss after two years at the helm.
There was plenty of speculation that all the travelling played a part in Davy’s decision to step down after being offered an extension but the man himself explains he just wanted the summer off.
“I’ve been on the road coaching teams for as long as I can remember. I really enjoyed my time as Waterford manager on both occasions. We definitely made huge progress and we came so close to qualifying for the All-Ireland series this year.
“When I decided to step down it was because I just wanted to have June and July off to spend some quality time with my family. What a time it was too. I enjoyed it so much especially being able to support Clare.
“Being involved in five All-Ireland finals with Clare (three as a player and two as a manager), I hadn’t experienced what it was like supporting them.
“Going to Croke Park in my Clare colours with my family was magical and to see us win was unbelievable. If I had stayed on as Waterford boss I’d have been planning for the following campaign immediately and my whole summer would have been taken up with preparing for the upcoming season.”
Regarding comments about the travelling Davy doesn’t hold back and feels that what he does in his life is his business.
“ There’s always people who will find a reason to have a go at me no matter what – especially some of the media in Clare for whatever reason but I’m used to it.
“To be honest I just couldn’t care less about what they say or what they think. People either like me or hate me in the media world it seems, but regardless of that I just genuinely feel that what I do in my life is my own business and nobody else’s.
“That’s something I really feel very strongly about and I never delve into anybody else’s life.”
Five years with his beloved Clare, five with Wexford and five years in total (two stints) with Waterford there is no doubting that Davy will bring a wealth of knowledge and massive Inter-county experience to the Saffrons set up.
The Sixmilebridge native feels that this, unlike his other managerial roles, is a completely different project than he’s ever undertaken before and that was one of the reasons he agreed to take on the role.
“It’s an absolute massive job and there’s a huge task ahead of me. Traditionally Antrim have been a sort of yo-yo team going up and down between playing in the Joe McDonagh one year and then the Leinster round robin.
“I don’t know if I can change that but I’ll certainly be giving it my best shot. I loved my time with the other counties I managed but they were very different roles.
“All of them would have bring looking at winning provincial and All Ireland titles. This is completely different. This is about improving Antrim and seeing where that improvement takes us.
“I would never have been able to take this job in the old format but the split season enables me to take the role as you have a defined calendar and that calendar means I can make plans outside of the timeframe involved which appeals to me.”
After having several approaches once he stepped down as the Deise boss the two time All Ireland winning goalkeeper was swayed by the enthusiasm of the hurling people he met when discussing the prospect of taking over Antrim.
“ Their enthusiasm was electric from the moment we met. I wasn’t surprised by this though as I’ve been going up and down there for twenty five years and there’s always been some top class hurling people within the county.
“When I met them you could sense their pride in their county and their desire to try and improve was incredible and the people who know me know that I love nothing better than working with a team who just want to improve. It’s a huge undertaking but there’s some really good quality hurlers up there and their club championship is without question one of the most competitive in the country.”
There has been plenty of speculation that Davy will oversee the underage system within the county but the three-time All-Star winning goalkeeper is fully focused on his role as senior manager.
“Of course I’ll have an input into the structures they have in place but my primary job is to manage the senior team and that’s where all my energy and all of my focus will be.
“I feel fully revitalised after having the summer off and when I agreed to meet with the county board I just got a very good feeling off them and I’ve always followed my instincts and to be honest they’ve served me well over the years.”