There were times we sparked off each other. But we got to know each other and over time we connected and struck up a strong bond.
When I returned to the Tipperary job in 2019, I only knew Bubbles by his genius. By his wrists. The wonderful scores he’d got over the years for Tipp. That incredible goal in the 2016 final. I admired his skill and bravery. For a small man, he often came down from the clouds with ball. And you’d rather nobody else had the ball. But I wondered about him too. How had a guy with that ability slipped to the fringes of the Tipp team? Had he the hunger for it? Was he just drifting?
I’d describe him as a likeable rogue. We had our moments. It wasn’t always straightforward. You had to bring him with you. There were times we sparked off each other. But we got to know each other and over time we connected and struck up a strong bond.
Two things about him surprised me. A blind man could appreciate his skill but I hadn’t fully copped how smart a hurler he was, how fast his brain worked. When you could watch him up close in training, you better appreciated how that translated into his uncanny ability to find space. Other players might have to think about their positioning, Bubbles knew where to go. His instincts took him there.
And I was taken aback by how hard he worked. Some players would have to practice day and night to get near the skill levels Bubbles could command. But John had to work harder than most to get to the physical level required nowadays at inter-county level. We often forget these guys are all different beasts. With different engines. And if a couple of pistons are giving you trouble it’s hard to get the engine primed. More than most, Bubbles needed full blocks of training, and his injuries didn’t always allow that.
Nobody saw the work he put in to get in the condition. I can picture him now, lapping Dr Morris Park, the boys hurling, him bursting to be among them. That desire to get back involved keeping him going. In the finish I nearly admired him more for how he applied himself.
The skills didn’t surprise me. He had a level most players couldn’t get to. I’ve seen a lot of players win an All-Star off one performance. I don’t know how Bubbles didn’t seal one for his display against Cork alone in 2019.
He hit seven points from play but he had two massive moments in that game. Bubbles moments. Noel spots him in space in the right corner and delivers the 40-yard pass. Bubbles looks up and in a flash shoots a cracking ball across to John McGrath who takes a step inside. Goal and we are now in the driving seat.
Cork raise a green flag and threaten the comeback. Brian Hogan goes long and up goes Bubbles among a group of half a dozen, plucks from the sky and sticks it over. Game set and match. It ignited our season.
In the second half against Wexford, he was everywhere. We were down to 14, gasping for air, he popped up, won frees, took great scores.
Then the goal in the final showed everything he is capable of. How is he standing in a prairie of space when Seamie picks it up out in the corner? And when the pass comes, people take for granted how straightforward he makes it look. Touch off the hurley and finish, with Eoin Murphy roaring out at him. Guarantee, you put 50% of inter-county forwards in that scenario and they won’t execute that finish as cleanly. But Bubbles’ ability to execute skills was off the charts.
Even in 2021, when the body was plaguing him, he gave it a go. He scored 1-2 from play in 35 minutes against Limerick, 1-10 from play in three matches. Injuries didn’t let him get near his potential that year. You wouldn’t have let every player out there in the shape he was in. But talent and skill and awareness were getting him through. And there was still nobody you’d rather have the ball 10 yards from the sideline.
It was a privilege and pleasure to work with him. I can’t name many Tipperary forwards who had more in the locker, skillwise. And I really like him. A smashing fella to have pint with or a game of golf.
I was sad to see the news come through he’d drawn a line under it. I'd hoped there was one more kick in him, but maybe the body said no.
‘So long,’ he wrote, in his droll way, in the retirement statement. So good, we can say back to him.
***
I also want to draw people’s attention to the game between Tipp and Kilkenny in Thurles this weekend, for the Dillon Quirke Foundation.
It is still hard to believe that Dillon is not on the pitch doing what he did best. We all carry that empty feeling from his sudden departure. He was loved right across the GAA community, far beyond the boundaries of Clonoulty Rossmore and Tipperary.
What his father Dan and the family have embarked on is an incredible initiative and what a legacy they are going to leave behind. The strength and resilience shown is of the highest order and I have such admiration for everyone involved.
The success of the foundation will ensure that every GAA player male and female will be screened to ensure early detection of potential heart issues and it will ultimately save lives.
It is a cause so deserving of support. You can attend the game on Sunday in the Stadium, or you can livestream it, or simply purchase a non-attendance ticket. Please spread the word far and wide in the GAA community because this is an initiative that will pay off for us all.
dillonquirkefoundation.com
