Kieran Donaghy and Jack O’Connor enjoyed an uneasy relationship when the latter returned for a second stint as Kerry manager.
Even if Donaghy decides to hang around for another year, it is unlikely he will still be playing senior intercounty when O’Connor returns for the inevitable third stint, when his all-conquering batch of minors/Under 21s reach maturity.
Maybe that is for the best, because judging by the extracts from the former footballer of the year’s autobiography, published in Tuesday’s Irish Examiner, the pair were clashing quite frequently back in 2012.
Already on the outs with O’Connor after turning up late for training because his recently deceased father’s dog went missing, Chelsea fan Donaghy’s decision to travel to the Champions League final angered his manager – who had told him, explicitly, not to go see his beloved Blues play Bayern Munich.
Tipperary were Kerry’s first opponent’s in the Munster Championship but how often are you going to see your team play in a Champions League final?
“I’m in the town square in Munich among thousands of other Chelsea fans for the Champions League final when the phone buzzes again. F***it. It’s Jack,” writes Donaghy.
“We’d a bit of a row last night. After training I told him I was going to the game; my friend Gerry Rochford had somehow got me tickets.
“‘Jesus, I don’t know about that, Kieran,’ said Jack. ‘The first round against Tipp is next week.’
“’Well, Jack, the flight and hotel is all sorted. I won’t be drinking, I’m back on Sunday and we’re not training ’til Monday. I won’t be missing anything.’
“’No, I’m not happy about this. If you go to that f***in’ match, you won’t be starting next weekend!’”
Donaghy decides not to answer the call, figuring O’Connor will twig where he is by the foreign ring tone. Five minutes later, captain Colm Cooper calls. He answers this one.
“’Are you in Germany?’
“’I am.’
“’You’re dropped for next Sunday, you know that?’
“’Erra, he’ll calm down. Sure if I didn’t tell him, he wouldn’t even know I was gone. Look, I’ve been following Chelsea since I was a kid.’
“’If he wants to drop me over going to see them play in a Champions League final, he can f***in’ drop me.’”
The call has put Donaghy in a bad mood, so he decides to have a few beers and, before you know it, he is singing ’12 German Bombers’ with his fellow Chelsea fans.
“I go into the nearest pub and have a few jugs of beer before meeting the lads. Trying to get my head around that I’ve just been dropped for the first time since I broke onto the team, yet make sure it doesn’t spoil being at one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
“A little while later I’m buzzing. I’ve met up with Gerry Rochford’s friend, Denis Diggins, a Mayo man who secured us the tickets.
“We join in with all the Chelsea fans, chanting to the tune of She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain:
There were eleven German bombers in the air
There were eleven German bombers in the air… …
And the RAF of Chelsea shot one down,
The RAF of Chelsea shot one down!”
Donaghy was dropped for the first round of the Munster SFC against Tipperary, coming on for Paul Galvin after 45 minutes of the 0-16 to 0-10 victory.
On the plus side, he was on hand to witness this. Swings and roundabouts.
On the latest episode of the GAA Hour, Wooly chats to new Meath boss Andy McEntee about the flawed Dublin Championship and catches up with new Clare joint manager Donal Moloney. Listen below or subscribe on iTunes.
