IN ALL FAIRNESS - A harrowing week

The last couple of days have been the most harrowing I have ever experienced in a sporting context. The level of shock and grief there has been around the county following the sudden passing of Clonoulty/Rossmore and Tipperary senior hurler Dillon Quirke on Friday night has been overwhelming. There is a numbness there as people try to process how a fit 24-year-old man could have his life come to an end on a sporting field, doing what he loved more than anything else. That is what probably makes the whole thing so hard to comprehend as we sadly hear tragic stories daily of young people passing away far too soon, but it is the sudden tragic nature of this that will take time for people to come to accept, if it can be at all. I was watching the live-stream of the game between Clonoulty/Rossmore and Kilruane MacDonaghs on Tipperary GAA TV and from an early stage I was concerned about what was unfolding, particularly with Dillon’s heart issue in the past, which many might not have been aware of. To that end, I would like to credit the camera-man and commentators Brian Jenkins and James Woodlock who found themselves in a difficult position but did not to alarm people, particularly the friends and family of Dillon who might have been tuning in and feeling helpless about what was unfolding. The trauma from Dillon’s passing has been felt far and wide, from his family to his teammates, and through the Kilruane MacDonagh’s players and officials, and one of the haunting images from Friday was seeing his long-time county underage teammate Craig Morgan being by his side as he fell ill, and he stayed with him as he was being treated before being taken away to hospital where he later passed away. It's that kind of leadership that espouses great players and reading and listening to the tributes to Dillon in recent days, he had those same characteristics and explains why at the age of 24 why he was captain of his clubs senior hurling team. The sad thing is we will never get to see how far Dillon would have gone but you would have expected him to play a key role for club and county as he was entering his prime years, but worse still the Quirke family are left without a son and brother. As a player, he was every manager’s dream, as he would play anywhere, from corner back at Thurles CBS to wing forward with Tipperary, he just wanted a jersey, but this past year said it all about his focus and drive. When Colm Bonnar came in as manager and immediately announced the revival of the Miller Shield, Dillon Quirke was up for it but on the basis, he would be trialled as a half back, where he won an All-Ireland Under 21 medal in 2021. He had played his club hurling in the forwards and also his first two years with the Tipperary seniors as well, including five points from play which heralded his arrival on the inter-county stage. The only pity was Covid stalled his progression, and it was only this year he got back on track. In what was a poor year for Tipperary, Dillon Quirke’s performances were some of the few shining lights, particularly against Limerick where he was outstanding at both midfield and wing back, revelling in the physicality that was required to stand up to that Limerick team, and produced an iconic play in getting back to hook Kyle Hayes to save a certain goal. As a player he did it all, from primary school and the primary game, through secondary school and winning a Harty Cup with Thurles CBS, through winning a Munster Minor title in 2015, a Munster & All-Ireland minor in 2016 to an Under 21 All-Ireland in 2018 as a starter, and later that year the crowning moment of helping Clonoulty/Rossmore to a county senior title, just like his father Dan did in 1997. His second half performance that day as a twenty-year-old against Nenagh Eire Og, marked him out as a player of substance, being the player at that age who stood tallest when the pressure was on in the second half. He would add a County Under 21 ‘A’ Championship medal later that year, even if he missed most of the campaign with a health issue, still in the closing minutes of that final, he came on to help his team over the line, which said it all about his commitment to his club, even if it wasn’t the right thing to do for him personally. After that, he took time out to get himself right and sat out most of the 2019 campaign. But for that, I’d have no doubt he would have been on the Tipperary senior panel in 2019 and would have a senior All-Ireland medal to his name as well. It’s just a tragedy that we’ll never see his true potential on the field but as time goes on his name will be discussed for years about what he could have been but more importantly who he was. If there is some comfort for his family, he died doing what he loved, and in last Friday’s game he was the best player on the field. To his parents Dan & Hazel, sisters Shannon & Kellie, the wider Quirke and Fryday families, and the community of Clonoulty/Rossmore, we express our deepest sympathy. May Dillon rest in peace.