BRENDAN CUMMINS SAYS he questioned his decision to walk away from the Tipperary panel after they went 10 points ahead against Kilkenny this year.
After 19 years between the sticks, Brendan Cummins decided the time was right to retire from hurling last October, taking up an analyst position for RTÉ’s coverage of this year’s championship.
But it was while working with RTÉ for Tipperary’s league clash with Kilkenny earlier this month that Cummins says he began to have his doubts.
“Much the same as last year, I sat down to watch it — I was working at it so I was over with RTÉat two o’clock. I sat down beside Eddie Brennan and watched it on the telly there,” explained the two time All-Ireland winner.
“We didn’t kill each other which was a good start. Because the 09′ final we were that close to each other there could have been murder.”
Tipperary went 10 points ahead in Nowlan Park approaching the break, only to lose that game by six points to their bitter rivals.
“It was edgy. Not being at the game would have helped from that point of view,” he says. “Below in Nowlan Park was the worst I’ve ever felt. I didn’t know where to go. I could feel my heart thumping inside my chest. Tipp went 10 points up – I was thinking: ‘what a mistake you’re after making here, these lads are flying and you’re after walking away.’
“I could see things that could have been changed out the pitch that would have stopped the comeback. It was that helplessness that was the feeling, one I hadn’t had before.”
After 73 championship appearances for Tipperary in consecutive years since 1994, Cummins is still adjusting to life outside of the wire.
“It was a sickener. Leaving the field with the supporters and trying to link in with people, to kinda cry on each other’s shoulders. There was good banter.
“I found with supporters, I haven’t had any crazy person beside me in the stand yet. I’m sure it’s going to happen at some stage; how I keep my cool will be the next thing. It’s been all good so far.”
In January, Cummins was unveiled as the new goalkeeping coach for the Kerry hurlers — but he says he’s not quite ready to fulfill his dream of managing Tipperary.
“At some stage I think it will come but I need an awful lot of experience first.”
“That’s what I’m getting out of the Kerry thing. The RTÉ piece I’m getting to see a lot more games and see how other guys are thinking about games and they way they read them.
“So, I think there is a big step between playing the game and moving on to manage a team and it will take an awful lot more experience.”
“There may be an opportunity down the line will come but for me I want to do the job like I played the game, absolute 100 per cent and know what I’m doing rather than going in and saying I’m living off the reputation I had with Tipp and going in and saying, ‘he was a good goalie, he must be a good manager’.”
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Brendan Cummins was speaking at the launch of ‘Fields Of Fire’ by journalist Damian Lawlor. See here for further details.
