McCarthy, Justin
May 15, 1992
Justin McCarthy
Cork's Justin McCarthy
A man of many hurling achievements on and off the field
There is no need for pessimism about the future of hurling as long as we have men with the vision and industry of Justin McCarthy whose dynamism, drive and passion reminds me of legendary Christy Ring at his best. We all have our favourite players, coaches, trainers and managers, and high among my list is the former Passage and Cork player, who is now better known as coach to Cashel King Cormacs the current aristocrats of Tipperary hurling.
It is my good fortune to have seen Justin in action at the height of his career and there were many admirable qualities to be noticed about his game when he helped Cork to regain the 1966 All Ireland title after a twelve year lapse. It was all the more a measure of his talent that he had the versatility and flair to shape up well to the task on hand whether at half back, midfield - his favourite position - or in an attacking role. Moreover, he successfully matched his skills and wits with the best of them and that is surely the real key to class.
"When I look back on my hurling career, I often thank God that it was hurling I chose to play and nothing else has given me as much pleasure and enjoyment", he says. "I was involved in some way as long as I can remember and my mother, God be good to her, used to tell me I had a hurley in my hand when I was about five or six playing on the roadway with my eldest brother. We played our own All Ireland but little did I think that one day I would play for my county in a 'real' All Ireland".
It is quite some time now since Justin first laced a boot for his county. The date was May 12, 1963 when he figured as a sub against Clare in the opening round of the championship. A few weeks later he had well and truly arrived despite the fact that Tipperary defeated the Leesiders - parading Tony Maher, Gerald and Charlie McCarthy, Fr. Seanie Barry, Con Roche and Justin - in a Munster semi-final at Limerick. The following year he became a regular on the Under 21 side and was picked as a sub for the Munster final against the old enemy.
During the course of the game he made his appearance at midfield for Blackrock's John Hayes and although Cork got bogged down a bit on the long run it was a dream come through to play in a Munster final against the blue and gold Having made the breakthrough Justin trained harder than ever and the work paid off when he retained his place on both the under 21 and senior teams in 1965 and then came '66 when the Leesiders finally broke the Munster barrier and rounded off the season with a historic All Ireland 'double'.
"That was the greatest year of my playing career when we first beat Kilkenny in the senior final and Wexford after three games in the under 21 decider. Then to finish off a tremendous year I was selected as 'Hurler of the Year'. What more could a player ask for", he says. Moreover, there was that added McCarthy bonus of spot-on finishing from play and frees and I remember with relish the first match against Clare when he brought Cork back from the lead with an equalising goal from a thirty yards free. A fortnight later Cork coasted to an over-whelming 16 points victory in the replay and then beat Limerick and Waterford to take their first provincial title in ten seasons. The rest is history.
"I'm an ordinary country boy", continues Justin. "I never smoked or drank and I love hurling. My older brother who is now in Boston started me on the road along with Martin O'Donoghue and Fr. Rock, CAP. My uncles hurled with Boston and New York after they emigrated in the 'twenties. I am a great believer in the handball alley for practice and I go there as often as I can. This is my 35th year involved with Passage and I am as enthusiastic now as I was at the beginning".
The Munster championship of 1967 got off to a sensational start when Waterford dumped Cork off the throne on their own Walsh Park. However, confidence quickly grew among the players and although it took them another couple of seasons to regain control the Reds put an end to Tipp's gallop in 1969 with Justin at centre back, flanked by Donal Clifford and Gerald McCarthy. Cork and Kilkenny again crossed camans on the first Sunday of September that year but misfortune struck when Justin was involved in an accident on his way to training at the Cork Athletic Grounds a week before the game.
"I was on the back of Joe Murphy's motor bike when it happened and consequently my whole world collapsed. My leg was broken in three places and I watched the game from a wheelchair in the Hogan Stand. A plate had to be inserted and as a result my leg is half an inch shorter". The following February, six months after the break, Justin was back in light training but missed out on Cork's All Ireland triumph that season.
Meanwhile he was being hailed as a saviour up in Antrim after coaching the Glensmen to their Intermediate win in the 1970 All Ireland race. "They were a fantastic bunch of people to work with and it was the first time a team from the six counties won an All Ireland in any grade. Niall Patterson's father was a selector and was a great motivator along with Pat Smith", says Justin, who is Area Sales and Marketing Manager with Tedcastle Oil Products in Cork.
In late Spring 1971, Justin made a comeback with Cork and the following year was selected to play with the original All Stars side in San Francisco. Before that he had collected two Railway Cup medals in 1968 and 1969 and won his second memorable decider at Thurles where he scored two vital points from the midfield position. "Once again our league form made us favourites for the championship but after going all the way to the final Kilkenny again deprived us of the Liam McCarthy trophy. "It was a shattering defeat for the Reds considering the fact that they led by eight points with 13 minutes left.
Married with four children Justin retains his intensity about hurling and whatever spare time he has he's involved in some way. His inter-county career gradually deteriorated around 1974 after a broken ankle received in training but not before he played in the Wembley games for the 4th time and helped Cork to win their first Oireachtas crown. Then off the field he started training Seandun and after the three-in-a-row star of the 'fifties Willie John Daly resigned as trainer of the county team early in 1975 Justin was approached.
"I thought about it and eventually said ok. We had a great run that year and although Galway beat us in the All Ireland semi-final it was the beginning of the three- in-a-row years. We took a lot of stick after losing to Galway but I had watched them win the league title against Tipperary early that year and knew they were a good side. With the help of a great display by Willie Walsh we beat the reigning champions Limerick in their own back yard and could have beaten Galway but fell too far behind early on. Then we missed three twenty one yard frees near the finish and went under narrowly".
Discarded by Cork Justin spent four seasons with Clare during which he county won two league titles in 1977 and 1978 and reached successive Munster finals against his native county. From 1977 to 1980 he was a messianic figure down in the Banner County and his one regret is not guiding them to a Munster senior final victory. "1978 was a heart break after we failed to Cork by thirteen points to eleven but in retrospect we had the satisfaction of beating Kilkenny in two league finals. They were a very enthusiastic group of players and they surpassed all expectations at the time. But then one would have to admire men in the calibre of Seamus Durack, Jackie O'Gorman, Ger Loughnane, Sean Hehir, Sean Stack, The O'Connors, Johnny Callinan and Noel Casey just to name a few". However, success and involvement with the Banner meant great personal sacrifices to him. The round trip from his home in Rochestown to the Clare training headquaters at Newmarket-on-Fergus was 190 miles. Yet, he undertook it up to three times a week before major games.
After Cork lost successive All Irelands to Kilkenny in 1982 and 1983 Justin further marked his credentials as a top class coach by guiding the Leesiders to the Centenary All Ireland victory over Offaly at Semple Stadium in 1984. The showdown proved a unique encounter - the first between the counties - with Cork pulling away in the second half for a resounding 3-16 to 1-12 victory. The '85 season was another personal triumph when Cork won their fourth provincial title on the trot but as in 1975 and 1979 Galway won the All Ireland semi-final in atrocious conditions.
Always among the first at training sessions, Justin was available to everyone whenever the occasion arose. "Again I lost out when 1986 arrived but you have to learn to live with these things. There's more to life than hurling but I can look back with a great deal of satisfaction and the game has been good to me. I went up to Cashel in 1990 and we finally won the Tipperary county title last year before going on to win the Munster Club championship. The excitement is building up again for 1992 so we'll take it from there".
Taken from Hogan Stand Magazine 15/05/92
Written by Tom Morrison
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