The Saffrons retained their Division 1B status but were relegated from the Leinster Championship during the first year of Davy Fitzgerald’s tenure
Davy Fitzgerald has revealed why he stayed on as Antrim boss for a second season after year one of his project ended in relegation from the Leinster championship.
Fitzy managed to maintain Antrim’s status as a Division 1B team but now has his eyes on a Joe McDonagh Cup and resurrecting hurling in the Glens.
He stated: “There were one or two things management wise that I could have been better on, sharper on.
“I would be self-critical of myself in certain areas. Times change, people change, different approaches to play change.
“I’d like us (Antrim) to be a lot more competitive against the top teams that we come across. I’d like to win a lot more matches this year than I did last year, that’s for definite.
“You’d like to be consistently there. Big beatings aren’t nice to get when you get them. So I need that to happen in order for us to make that progress.
“ So I’d like that to happen. Obviously, Joe McDonagh is going to be very competitive. We would like to think that we’re going to be there or thereabouts, but it’s going to be competitive.
“ We’ll be trying our best to go as far as we can in that. The same in the league. I think you know my form. I’m not going to just f*****g turn up.I want to be as successful as I possibly can.”
Fitzgerald, meanwhile reckons GAA President Jarlath Burns should take a leaf out of Jim Gavin’s book and set up a new think tank to fine-tune hurling’s future.
The Antrim boss insists the game doesn’t need the kind of revolution football underwent last year under Gavin’s guidance — but he’s convinced a few smart tweaks could make it even better.
“Hurling isn’t bad,” says Fitzy. “Let’s not go f***ing around with it too much. But are there things we can make better? Yeah, there is.
“I think Jarlath did really well for football with the committee he put in. I just think hurling could evolve the same way. Like me as a manager — you constantly have to evolve, be better, and be open to criticism.
“The GAA do a lot of good, but can they progress more things? I genuinely believe they can.”
So what’s on his to-do list for hurling’s next evolution?
For starters, the 2013 All-Ireland winning boss wants managers and selectors moved off the sideline and into a designated coach’s box in the stand — just like in rugby.
He says being trapped at pitch level makes it harder to think clearly, especially when the pressure’s on.
“When you’re down on the sideline, you’ve probably 70 or 80,000 people around you — it’s f***ing hard to think,” he says.
“I made that suggestion last year and it was rubbished, but I don’t think it’s rubbish at all. Would it take away altercations between management and refs? Absolutely. I think it’s a sensible one.”
From his perspective, removing the heat from the touchline could improve everything — decision-making, analysis, and behaviour.
“If you’re up a bit higher, you see the game better,” he says. “When I’m doing radio in Croke Park, I love it — I can see everything.
“If you put managers in a box up there, you’d have no sideline rows, no running battles with officials, and a better view of what’s happening. I’d love to see the GAA try it.”
His second proposal? Referees should have consistent, year-long teams of umpires and linesmen — the same people, week after week — and get properly paid for their time.
“Refs should have their own team,” he says. “Linesmen and umpires of their choice, and they should be with them all year round.
“They need to be backed. I’d like to see them get better expenses and supported as best we can.”
That support, Fitzgerald insists, has to come with better communication.
He’s long been frustrated by the lack of dialogue between managers and referees — especially when consistency is questioned.
“Just ask, can you tell me — there was one game this year, we were blown for five frees in a row,” he says.
“And I know what the five frees were — and they were frees. But I could pull three frees that weren’t blown for the same thing.
“I just want that consistency. I want to be able to ask, ‘Yeah, you blew that — but what about these three examples here? Can you explain that to me?’”
The issue, he says, is that those conversations can’t happen during the match — not when emotions are running high.
“On the day of the game, if I say that to a ref — and I’m probably a bit heated because it’s tense — I’ll go, ‘Jesus, did you not see that?’ And the minute you’re that way, you’re f***ing goosed.”
That’s the human side of the sport that Fitzy believes needs attention — not rulebook overhauls or gimmicks, but genuine connection between the people who shape the game.
He’s not afraid to float big ideas, but insists they’re about evolution, not change for change’s sake.
“I’m not saying my ideas are right,” he says. “But I think they’re good ones — and I think there’s room for more discussion.”
It’s typical Fitzgerald — blunt, passionate and obsessed with progress.
Because for all his fiery touchline persona, his message is simple: protect what makes hurling great, but don’t be afraid to make it better.
“I think there’s so much we can do to evolve,” he says. “Just like teams, the GAA needs to evolve too.”
Click here to sign up to our sport newsletter, bringing you the latest sports news, headlines and top stories
#Davy #Fitzgerald #opens #returned #Antrim #hurling #manager #plea #Jarlath #Burns
