BOYLAN TALKS SPORT: Note to self: try not to let heart rule head

Better late than never. In another excellent column submitted by Brendan a couple of week's ago he discussed Mickey Harte's leaving of Louth to take on the main man role in Derry.

A couple of week's ago, Anglo Celt sports editor Paul Fitzpatrick produced an insightful piece breaking down how newly appointed Derry manager Mickey Harte had fallen into the trap of ‘Do as I say, not as I do’. Now at this juncture it must be stated this writer has no problem admitting that the Ballygawley man is one of the finest managers in the history of men’s Gaelic football.

Facts don’t lie. In this instance, there were numerous All Ireland winning performances directed at underage level and triumvirate of chart toppings in the race for Sam Maguire. It must be acknowledged that during his albeit truncated spell with Louth, the 69-year-old - alongside his longtime sidekick Gavin Devlin - had taken the Wee County to a plateau, the likes of which they hadn’t scaled in decades.

Nor can the tragedy which has befallen him, his family and the entire Tyrone GAA community or indeed the good he has brought to other people’s lives on foot of same be allowed to fade from the public consciousness.

However, from a purely football perspective, what would stick in the craw most would have to be, as Paul pointed out, his flat out abandonment of those which have been the core principals throughout his highly successful management career. Consider that, throughout his long and highly successful management career, the decorated pensioner has inculcated such values as unity and loyalty and the notion of presence in the group, physically and mentally, being the most important attribute.

Indeed, in one of his books, Mickey goes to great lengths to document the ritual he enshrined with his Tyrone teams regarding how each player was ceremonially presented with their jersey on match days and how there was also a certain reverence to the players collectively pulling the jerseys on together.

I'm sure there are folk in Tyrone who must now think it was all self serving lip service. That said, it seems to be fairly well accepted that there was shoddy workmanship involved in how Harte's departure from the county to which he had given so much to was handled.

Hence why it should have been no surprise to see him saddle up for a new job a few years back. Even if Louth was a surprising location for the deployment of services.

It would be ventured that the vast majority of genuine Tyrone fans would have wished him well in his endeavours in and around the Cooley Mountains. Not much would be wagered, though, that the same sentiments would apply to his latest career move.

You're not talking about something like Sean Boylan managing Dublin here, or Brian Cody going to Wexford. A Tyrone man going to Derry would, I suspect, be akin to Neil Lennon taking over at Ibrox, someone who has been politically green all their lives crossing to the dark (blue) side or turkeys voting for Christmas.

All that and much more surrounding the question of loyalty has been fermenting in the think tank up top throughout the past week. Specifically, since it emerged that Vikki Wall has, in fact, signed some form of contract with the IRFU.

Right now, let it be stated again, categorically, that any upset felt by yours truly at the latest development in this supremely gifted sportswoman's career would be solely down to the incalculable loss she would be to the Meath GAA team and, more importantly, our club who will take on Dunshaughlin Royal Gaels in tomorrow's Ladies SFC final, without the invaluable services of the irrepressible Wall.

This is a particularly special era for both and though there would be quiet confidence here that the two of them can and hopefully will achieve more in time to come. But one thing that you can be certain of is that the good times aren't guaranteed to last forever.

Still, for fear of coming off bitter here, one has, albeit reluctantly, resolved to try and not let the heart rule the head. To get the chance to partake in professional sport must be the ultimate achievement for any sportsperson.

Or, for someone in the realms of amateur sport, it is surely the case that, if the opportunity arises to qualify and/or be selected for the Olympics in their particular sport, it will be leapt at. So on that score, not only would I understand Vikki’s decision to give the rugby adventure a go, there would would be extreme confidence here that she will take to the new sporting pursuit like a duck to water.

I will readily admit to not knowing what way a 7s rugby team is formatted, i. e. how many backs/forwards or what way setpieces are dealt with, but what is certain is that Vikki would be a powerful asset to any team she aligns with and a formidable opponent for anybody to deal with. Those inclinations manifest still further in relation to the 15-a-side game.

Yes, part of me will be a little crestfallen if she is lost to GAA, but it's a long road that has no turn.