The Sad Demise Of A Great Hurler

[Offalys Future]

It isnt a topic that i thought i would ever have to write about but after last Sunday evening i feel i have to.

Brian Whelahan is Offaly's greatest ever hurler. My favourite of all and a player that over the years time and time again produced displays that were breathtaking. Nobody will ever take that away from him.

What i witnessed against Shinrone last weekend, also against Clareen and Kinnity earlier in the year was a man struggling big time.

Last year in Portlaoise against Ballyhale i was embarrased for Brian Whelahan, with forty mins gone in the game he was on his knees, head down not able to go on any more. When some pri.k from the croud roared ' you finished whelahan'. Not a nice thing to shout but there never was a statement so correct.
If Brian had hung up the boots at the end of last year nobody would have minded, he gave us so many great days and had to prove nothing to anyone.
But he didnt he decided to stay on.

It really is sad now to be honest because every game he plays now he loses respect from me. Last Sunday the language he used to referee Brian Gavin was disgusting. Giving out about an incident at the other end of the field. His attitude towards his own players, shouting and cursing was a sign of a man in decline.
This wasnt the first time this happened against Clareen it was the same, even worse.

Brian Whelahan is a legend in Offaly but each game he plays now he loses respect of his fellow players and younger hurlers that once looked up to him.

Sid you've done it all, its time to move on.

[azoffaly]

I will never lose respect for Brian Whelahan, never. The joy he brought to all of us was unrepayable, and he deserves our endless admiration and respect.

He also deserves to decide when he wants to go, and while I would agree with you in that he is struggling now, I am happy to let him make the decision himself. Once you retire, you are a long time retired. If he enjoys it still, then he's earned the right to continue playing.

I thought the same after the Clareen game in Rath a couple of weeks ago, I thought it was time for him to hang them up, but sure that's not our decision to make.

[Biffo Army]

Totally agree with you. Its such a shame the way the Sid is carrrying on, in the last couple of years in a number of matches I have noticed him getting involved in unnecessary verbal exchanges with opposing players.

He is now playing against kids who idolised him, but they are not seeing the Sid who was there hero. They are playing against a far more bitter, cynical Sid than we had seen right throughout his county career. The old saying of "never meet your hero" springs to mind........

Wouldnt totally agree about shouting at his own players, have always found him to be very talkative and encouraging towards his team mates, this is something which I dont believe has changed as he reaches the climax of his illustrious career.

As Offaly's Future said he is undoubtedly Offalys greatest hurler, and it was an absoulute privilege to witness some of his performances over the years for both Offaly and Birr, however I think as he seeks to win what I believe will be his 11th county medal with Birr, it may be about time to hang up those boots once and for all.

[Treasurer]

I will never lose respect for Brian Whelahan, never. The joy he brought to all of us was unrepayable, and he deserves our endless admiration and respect.

Spot on.

[The Magpie]

I find it very hard to believe that Brian Whelahan cannot still contribute at club level in this County. Fair enough, Ballyhale may have exposed those tired limbs, but Ballyhale are now the best club side in the country.

If Brian Whelahan wants to continue playing and is enjoying it, he should. I wouldn't mind him being hard on his own players - perhaps he needed to judging by the performances of the last two games. I'm not going to excuse him from giving Gavs a hard time, but getting involved with the opposition is all part of the game.

[Bord na Mona man]

After years of being targeted by the opposition and taking some severe punishment, I can understand why Sid might by feeling a bit crabby these days. Also it can be frustrating to be given the runaround by young fellas that you would have destroyed in your prime.

The man himself will know when it's time to go. To his credit, he hung on with Offaly to try and help bed down a new team, well after other stars took early retirement.

[the bare biffo]

Brian Whelahan is a man giving up his own time to indulge his own amateur passtime and contribute to his club in the way he knows best.

If you feel embarrassed by that and compelled to denigrate his efforts for the sake of your sensitivities, maybe it says as much about your own attitude as it does Brians.

Nothing (bar a drugs revelation) could ever detract from what Brian has done with a hurl in his hand over the last 20 years.

But thats only my opinion !

[Muck Savage]

If you feel embarrassed by that and compelled to denigrate his efforts for the sake of your sensitivities, maybe it says as much about your own attitude as it does Brians

I don't think OF is denigrating Brian's efforts I think he's just pointing out a fair enough fact that some players don't know when to go and others go too early. In Brian's case maybe he is trying to plug along too long.

No matter who you are you shouldn't be allowed to abuse a ref. I've seen lots of posts here about supporting refs but just because the man was/is a classic hurler doesn't allow him to give a ref a bolliking. Same goes for players on his own team. He will loose the name of being a great hurler to the next generation if he keeps going carrying on like this.

Brian was a great hurler and a great sportsman, a joy to watch, but a sometimes knowing when to fold is the hardest one.

[Offalys Future]

If you feel embarrassed by that and compelled to denigrate his efforts for the sake of your sensitivities, maybe it says as much about your own attitude as it does Brians.

Bare Biffo it doesnt surprise me one bit your response.
But i aint even getting into it because Muck Savage and any other non narrow minded person know exactly what i am talking about.
Good Luck

[Lone Shark]

There's two aspects to this thread, and I'd be very quick to separate them both.

The abuse of Brian Gavin (I qualify this by saying "if it happened" - I don't doubt OF, just that I wasn't there) is unforgiveable whether you are the greatest hurler in the county's history or some 18 year old with ideas above your station. Brian Gavin is one of the top officials in Ireland now and will get an All Ireland hurling final either this year or next, and arguably is much more at the top of his "game" than any of our hurlers are.

As to Brian hurling on, well on that I couldn't disagree more. I used to get very annoyed at supporters from other counties (usually Kilkenny) who seemed to think that the fact that he couldn't keep up with intercounty hurling in his mid thirties somehow tarnished the legacy of what he did for the ten years that he was at his peak. He kept hurling at intercounty level in order to help bring the younger players through because ultimately he was more interested in Offaly hurling than he was in his own legacy - yet another reason why he edges out DJ as the best hurler of that generation.

I can't help but believe that there isn't a degree of that with Birr. Okay, he mightn't have the same turn of pace that he once did, but he still contributes and clubs are there to provide hurling for people who want to hurl - and he wants to hurl. After that it's up to Birr management if they consider him one of the best XV they have available, and they clearly do. (I'll grant you that the current management of Birr may be slightly biased in his favour... ) Also the Seán Ryans and Didi Dwanes of the club can only improve for his being around. Incidentally he might have struggled with the pace against Clareen, but I'd say when he nailed those 65's towards the end Birr people were very glad to have him on the field.


On a slightly related topic, I actually love that aspect of the GAA - that players keep playing at whatever level they feel comfortable. You have to love stories like Joe Dooley, after all he did for the club, leading Clareen to the junior title last year, or Joachim doing the same with Lusmagh a while back. When senior hurling gets too tough for Sid, he'll be welcomed with Birr intermediates, and i've no doubt the juniors would be delighted to take him on either, and if he wants to play for either, so much the better.

[juteman]

Spot on LS.Play for as long as you can at the highest level.Tony Doran had fairly slowed down by the time he won his all Ireland club at 43 yrs of age.

[Offalys Future]

There's two aspects to this thread, and I'd be very quick to separate them both.

The abuse of Brian Gavin (I qualify this by saying "if it happened" - I don't doubt OF, just that I wasn't there) is unforgiveable whether you are the greatest hurler in the county's history or some 18 year old with ideas above your station. Brian Gavin is one of the top officials in Ireland now and will get an All Ireland hurling final either this year or next, and arguably is much more at the top of his "game" than any of our hurlers are.

As to Brian hurling on, well on that I couldn't disagree more. I used to get very annoyed at supporters from other counties (usually Kilkenny) who seemed to think that the fact that he couldn't keep up with intercounty hurling in his mid thirties somehow tarnished the legacy of what he did for the ten years that he was at his peak. He kept hurling at intercounty level in order to help bring the younger players through because ultimately he was more interested in Offaly hurling than he was in his own legacy - yet another reason why he edges out DJ as the best hurler of that generation.

I can't help but believe that there isn't a degree of that with Birr. Okay, he mightn't have the same turn of pace that he once did, but he still contributes and clubs are there to provide hurling for people who want to hurl - and he wants to hurl. After that it's up to Birr management if they consider him one of the best XV they have available, and they clearly do. (I'll grant you that the current management of Birr may be slightly biased in his favour... ) Also the Seán Ryans and Didi Dwanes of the club can only improve for his being around. Incidentally he might have struggled with the pace against Clareen, but I'd say when he nailed those 65's towards the end Birr people were very glad to have him on the field.


On a slightly related topic, I actually love that aspect of the GAA - that players keep playing at whatever level they feel comfortable. You have to love stories like Joe Dooley, after all he did for the club, leading Clareen to the junior title last year, or Joachim doing the same with Lusmagh a while back. When senior hurling gets too tough for Sid, he'll be welcomed with Birr intermediates, and i've no doubt the juniors would be delighted to take him on either, and if he wants to play for either, so much the better.

I agree with most of what you are saying.

What i was trying to get across is that Brian Whelahan is an Offaly legend and always will. But whats happening now is sad.
He can hurl for as long as he wants and not me or anyone will stop him.
But while he remains hurling he is there to be judged like any other hurler


But his carry on of late has been embarrassing and disgraceful.
Against Clareen more so when his language was shocking and then abusing Brian Gavin last weekend.

Brian Whelahan is a role model whether he likes it or not. He shouldnt treat opposition players his own team mates or referees the way he is doing.

His performances of late have been very poor apart from a few 65's against Clareen.

Yes he can hurl for as long as he likes and why not. But stop treating his fellow players and officials like he is doing.

[Lone Shark]

He can hurl for as long as he wants and not me or anyone will stop him.
But while he remains hurling he is there to be judged like any other hurler

But his carry on of late has been embarrassing and disgraceful.
Against Clareen more so when his language was shocking and then abusing Brian Gavin last weekend.

I'm not sure you are judging him like any other. I would suggest that if he was a "club" hurler all his life you wouldn't be singling out his current poor form - which is understandable. It's only natural that you compare him with the player he was, rather than with the 16th man on the Birr panel which is the comparison Padjoe has to make.


As for the recent stuff, that's not good behavious. I can appreciate the frustration in one sense - over the last few years when one team ran Birr close as Clareen did, usually it was woe betide whoever was next in the firing line. The fact that they didn't do that suggests that perhaps things aren't all well, and for a man like Sid who's no doubt thinking that he doesn't have many more years (if any) at this level yet, I can see why he might be livid at some of the younger lads phoning it in, if that's how he sees it.

Still no excuse for berating Brian Gavin, but I think there's consensus on that.

[Offalys Future]

I'm not sure you are judging him like any other. I would suggest that if he was a "club" hurler all his life you wouldn't be singling out his current poor form - which is understandable. It's only natural that you compare him with the player he was, rather than with the 16th man on the Birr panel which is the comparison Padjoe has to make.

I didnt mean judge him like any other club hurler i meant that while he is still hurling he is there to be judged like anyone else.

He doesnt need to lower himself to his carry on of late thats all.

I am going to post a topic tomorrow regarding the Birr club i think you might find it interesting.

[turk]

I am looking forward to this topic on Birr. It may throw up some interesting discussion