BY SIOBHÁN WALSH
JOE Higgins has announced his retirement from inter-county football.
The St. Joseph’s club man who first came to note in the county jersey when he won a minor AllIreland title in 1997 is hanging up his Laois boots.
But every cloud has a silver lining and although we won’t get to see Joe’s own football skill’s as often, he won’t be short of team lists and tactics as he takes on the challenge of managing the Laois senior ladies football team.
Having played under many managers, including the great “Micko” he’ll have a few tricks up his sleeve as he dives into the deep end with the ladies football rule book in hand.
He is looking forward to the challenge. “I’m delighted with the job. I suppose I haven’t managed before. The only management job I had was with a school team in the Cumann na mBunscol so to get a job like this fi rst time off is great for me and I’m delighted with it.”
Why did he go for the job? “There were a few clubs that approached me alright inside and outside the county but through a friend I heard that Brendan Hayden was stepping down. I asked him would he enquire about the job and I was delighted to go ahead with that.
“As regards clubs, it’s a lot more high profi le. Its inter-county at the end of the day and to get that starting off was the right way to go and there’s huge potential in the girls.”
When asked had he much experience of ladies football, he reply was: “Not really to be honest. The county board are taking a punt on me but I’m hoping it will pay off. I haven’t much experience with the ladies football set up. I’m after getting my own rule book, I’ve the whole lot there to study but I have researched it since I found out that I have the job and I’m sure I’ll catch on fairly quick. I suppose the biggest difference in the rules from the lad’s game is the pick. There are things there that I’m hoping that I can improve on.”
Joe is wasting no time and is holding trials on this Saturday 19 December at 1pm in Annanough.
“I decided to go ahead on next Saturday as the first get together and I was in touch with Mairéad Fitzpatrick, the secretary and arranged with her to send out notices to all of the clubs’ secretaries, giving every club a chance to send in whoever they think is fit for the senior panel, so I’m waiting back on word from them on Wednesday and hoping to get a good response and whoever they decide to send in will be given a fair chance. I think it’s the way to go as regards a new set up. No one can give out. Everyone is going to get the same chance as everyone else. Depending on how many come, I’ll see how many trial games we’ll have. There will be at least two trial games.”
Has he a management team in place yet?
“Not yet, as such, there’s no one in place, I’m onto that. I’m hoping to get another woman in there and another man. I want to try and keep it away from anyone who has anyone playing and try keep it neutral because I know with ladies football, the clubs have great rivalry and I want to keep the whole thing fresh and keep it new.” It was never going to be practical to manage and play for an intercounty team.
“I am retiring from inter-county football myself. I feel it’s the time. Last Christmas I got an operation on my hip, a groin injury and was diagnosed with arthritis in both hips. I’ll defi nitely have to get two hip replacements in my 40s but if I stay playing and aggravating them it will be sooner rather than later. I’m 30 years of age now and I had hoped to have played on with the county team for as long as is physically possible and the same with my club but with the line of work I’m in I have to look down the road rather than at the short term.
“I hope to play at least another year with St Joseph’s. It’s very hard to step away from your club. I have to try and stay doing something because it’s better stay active. But as regards Laois, it’s fairly tough going in there, all year round. I don’t think my legs would be able to take it, which is a pity because I had hoped to stay playing as long as possible but that’s the way it goes. I want to stay involved with Laois and this is as good a way of doing it as any.”
Now Joe is moving away from the bright lights to a job that has a smaller spot light.
“It will be but it’s only in the last couple of weeks that I have researched the ladies team and I thought it was the same set up as what we had with gear, travel expenses all the stuff like that. I didn’t realise that everything that the girls got they raised it themselves. They didn’t get any travel expenses and they’re doing it totally out of their own commitment which I think is a great thing because no matter who you have on the panel you know that they’re fully committed. They’re getting nothing for coming down and going training a couple of nights a week, playing a match at the weekend and paying for it out of their own pocket.”