Niall McCoy column – Wallace resignation bad for Saffrons

Former Antrim boss, but current assistant coach, Jerry Wallace

IF ever there was an example of profile influencing the volume of news afforded to different hurling counties, it was this week, when we saw the discrepancy between column inches covering the ‘Davy-gate’ and ‘Jerry-gate’ scandals.

Clare manager Davy Fitzgerald dominated the headlines this week for having the audacity to get involved in a bit of verbal sparring with Waterford forward Eoin Kelly.

“I’ve got two All-Irelands and you’ve got f*** all.” It was hardly Winston Churchill at his best, although it would have been entertaining if the RTE microphones had picked up Davy saying “You’re a modest little person Eoin with much to be modest about.”

In truth, there was little in it. A bit of slating that happens up and down the country every weekend. But RTE picked up on it, ran with it and the rest, as they say, is history.

RTE have also played a role in the ‘Jerry-gate’ saga, but it has been buried in the sport-in-brief sections in a lot of publications. Pity, because it’s a much more interesting story, and one even Columbo would struggle to figure out.

Gaelic Life’s Extra Time looked at Jim Nelson’s interim appointment last week, but developments since then means the issue has to be revisited.

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday June 21. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p – by clicking here