Cork's Amy Lee has spoken in glowing terms of Davy Fitzgerald, who joined their management team ahead of the 2022 campaign.
After 14 consecutive seasons of inter-county hurling management, going from Waterford to Clare to Wexford, Fitzgerald stepped off that carousel last year and was linked with a number of jobs around the country, most notably the Galway hurling manager’s position.
But he eventually threw in his lot with Matthew Twomey’s Cork senior camogie management team and they have successfully steered the team to Saturday’s Littlewoods Ireland Ireland Camogie League final against Galway.
Lee said: “He's done massive stuff for us already. He just has a winning mentality and it's great to see. He genuinely wants to win at everything he does.
“In terms of him himself, he's so lovely. We still have great craic at training even though obviously the training is serious.
“You'd still have the craic or a little laugh or joke or whatever. Do you know what, it's great to have him involved.”
Lee said that the public perception of the All-Ireland winning player and manager is at odds with her experience of him.
“I'd have people asking me all the time what he's like and they're like, ‘Oh, he seems mad’ or whatever because of what they'd seen on TV. But if you actually sat down with the man for five minutes you'd know what he's really like.
“I think the way it is with TV and social media, even personal stuff, the way they put him out there. I know sometimes you lose the head and stuff, but I think it (the commentary) is very dramatic, like. He's actually a lovely man and he's great to work with.”
Like Fitzgerald, Lee is a goalkeeper though she says he has left that side of it to their goalkeeping coach, Teddy O’Donovan.
“But he does float around,” she said. “Obviously we have other hurling coaches and stuff and he would make his way down to us and give a few tips and stuff, discussing puck-outs and how he wants to play the game and stuff.
“We haven't had gone into too much detail yet. We're just waiting for the better weather where we can have a long session and do walk-throughs and stuff.”
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