Adrian O'Brien worked his magic with St Finbarr's and Ballyea but this week he'll step aside 

LAST Thursday night, Adrian O’Brien signed off with Ballyea after training, for the time being at least, before doing something similar with St Finbarr’s on the following night.

For a while now, O’Brien has had a core routine as coach of the two clubs; Tuesday and Thursday with Ballyea; Wednesday and Friday with the Barrs.

It hasn’t always worked out, especially with championship match clashes, but O’Brien has tried to make it work by being with one of the clubs every second Sunday. However, there were some Sundays where O’Brien would drive from Kilmallock to Ballyea for training, before turning around and heading for the Barrs training. And then heading home.

They were marathon days but whichever direction O’Brien’s headed, he had some distance to cover first before arriving at training; it’s just over an hour from Kilmallock to Ballyea; it’s roughly about 10-15 minutes longer to get to Togher, which could be even longer depending on evening traffic around the city.

This week though, O’Brien won’t be on the road at all, despite it being such a big week for both clubs - because he has stepped away from both clubs ahead of their Munster semi-final meeting in Ennis on Sunday.

This is O’Brien’s second year involved with Ballyea. He was S&C coach last year before also taking on hurling coaching this season. Initially, Ger Cunningham recruited him as an S&C coach for the Barrs earlier this year before O’Brien also transitioned into a coaching role on the field.

Ballyea would have always had another Munster campaign at the back of their minds, having now won four county titles in seven seasons, but such an eventuality where the Barrs might be playing Ballyea was the furthest thing from the minds of Cunningham and O’Brien for much of this season.

The Barrs hadn’t won a county title in 29 years. 

Having to deal with this issue now is something Cunningham and the Barrs would have craved when O’Brien would have first outlined his other commitments to the Barrs manager.

With so many outside club managers and coaches now, it’s inevitable that there will be clashes and difficult decisions somewhere along the line. When Seán Stack first went to Toomevara in Tipperary in 1993, he was still hurling with Sixmilebridge in Clare.

Stack maintained his dual role all season until both clubs won their county titles and ended up in the Munster club final. Twelve days beforehand, Stack went to Toomevara and asked the players to accept that he would be doing everything in his power over the following two weeks to try and beat them.

After Toomevara won, the players, management and supporters surrounded Stack coming off the field to show their appreciation for helping the club secure a first Munster title – even though Stack had done everything possible to stop them on the day. Shortly afterwards, Stack resumed his duties and led Toomevara to the All-Ireland final, which they lost to Sarsfields of Galway.

It wasn’t as complex for Stack 20 years later when he guided Na Piarsaigh to a Munster title but it was even more emotive as they defeated Sixmilebridge in the final in Ennis, hammering them by 18 points.

At the end of the game, Stack was standing near the corner flag, detached from the celebrating Na Piarsaigh players, completely dislocated from the delirium coursing through everyone else in the club.

Then two years later, Stack found himself managing Clonlara against Sixmilebridge in the Clare county final. 

"There are 16 (senior) clubs in Clare and what are the chances of us meeting the Bridge in the final?” asked Stack before that final. “Then again, there were 64 odd clubs in Munster and I ended up facing the Bridge in a final there too. 

It is an awkward position to be in but hurling people understand I have a job to do. So I have to put the Bridge to one side.” 

Last Sunday though, Jerome Johnston couldn’t force himself to make that choice. The Ballybay Pearse Brothers manager decided to temporarily step down ahead of their Ulster quarter-final clash against Kilcoo, with Johnston’s three sons –Jerome, Ryan and Shealan – all playing for Kilcoo. Six of his nephews, the Branagan brothers and Ceilum Doherty, are also part of the panel.

It’s not the first time a manager has stepped down when facing his own. In 2012, Errigal Ciarán manager Ronan McGuckin temporality stepped away against Ballinderry, the club he had played for. Errigal won and McGuckin was back with the Tyrone side the following week.

In 2019, Clontibret were managed by John McEntee, who had won 14 county titles, eight provincial crowns and five All-Irelands with Crossmaglen. Yet McEntee choose to stay with Clontibret before they faced Cross’ in Ulster.

NEVER EASY

It is never easy but it is even more difficult with sons on the other side. Before the 2007 football qualifiers, Dessie Dolan Snr spoke of his trepidation of his Leitrim side being drawn against a Westmeath side containing his two sons, Dessie and Gary. It didn’t happen.

Yet it did happen to Brian McIver when he was Donegal manager in 2008 when he came up against a Derry side that included his son Michael at wing-back.

At least Adrian O’Brien doesn’t face that dilemma. But he could have. Ifs and buts are always irrelevant but if Kilmallock had beaten Na Piarsaigh in the Limerick final and either Ballyea or the Barrs were drawn to face them in Munster, O’Brien’s decision then would have been a lot more complex – because his son Shane plays for Kilmallock. And so does his own brother, Paudie.

This week, O’Brien is thankful for small mercies.