IT WAS A match in 2019 when Trinity played Cambridge in the annual friendly between the universities that it started to become really clear that there was something about Joe McCarthy.
He was still just 18 at the time, only a few months out of school. He had started the season playing for Trinity’s U20s but the senior team needed a lock. Tony Smeeth, Trinity’s long-serving director of rugby, gave McCarthy a shot and the big second row never looked back.
That day at College Park in Dublin, Cambridge’s second row was made up of former Wallabies captain James Horwill and ex-Springboks lock Flip van der Merwe, with 98 Test caps between them. But neither of them was the best lock on the pitch.
Playing alongside Alex Soroka, who is also with Leinster these days, McCarthy was outstanding.
“Joe and Alex played in the second row for us, it was like old rugby against the young lads,” says Smeeth.
“We beat them and Joe was just… I think James Horwill knew what he was looking at, Joe just smashed him every time he got the ball.”
Having been unheralded up until this point, McCarthy excelled in the AIL that season and played for the Ireland U20s despite being a year young. There was a big hamstring injury in the 2020/21 season but really, it has been a meteoric rise since with Leinster and now Ireland. Today, McCarthy will make his World Cup debut against Romania.
It’s impressive going for a young man who hadn’t looked like being a star rugby player during his school days at Blackrock College.
McCarthy was on Blackrock’s C team in third year and then went into the development squad for fourth and fifth year. But he shot up a few inches in height before his last year in school and, suddenly, he was elevated into Blackrock’s Senior Cup panel.
“He came into our group and it meant that he was very raw,” says Justin Vanstone, the senior team head coach at Blackrock.
“His decision-making wasn’t great and some of his technical skills needed a lot of work but at the same time, his work ethic and that sort of growth mindset stood out.
“He was full of questions, in a nice way.”
McCarthy was a starting second row as Blackrock lost to a strong St Michael’s team in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup quarter-finals in 2019. Back then, he was listed as Joseph McCarthy on the teamsheets.
McCarthy’s progress has been helped by having two brothers who are big on rugby too. His older brother, 26-year-old Andrew, plays tag rugby with the special needs team Seapoint Dragons and is a huge supporter of Joe’s.
Younger brother, Paddy, is now also part of the Leinster set-up having joined the academy this summer following his impressive performances for the Ireland U20s. Paddy, 20, is already earmarked as a big prospect for Ireland at loosehead prop.
“They’re very competitive and very supportive at the same time,” says Vanstone of the McCarthy brothers.
“Paddy would have learned a lot from Joe, who is an excellent role model for anyone. Paddy is now going down that line and he’s a fine young player as we’ve seen for the U20s.
“So there’s a healthy competition but more than anything, there’s such a strong line of support that runs through that family. It shows a lot in Joe.”
His parents, Paula and Joe, hail from Tipperary and West Cork respectively and though Joe was born in New York when his dad was working there, they returned to Ireland when Joe was three. Dublin is home.
Like his older brother, Paddy is a big man. The McCarthy’s size and physicality help them to stand out. Joe is 6ft 6ins and over 120kg.
“He’s like his brother, he’s almost got this Polynesian strength, almost like a natural farmer strength,” says Smeeth.
“Joe is incredibly physical and he’s a good athlete. He wouldn’t be a Ryan Baird-type athlete, they’d actually be total opposites.
“Ryan [who also played with Trinity] would have crazy stats, he’s so athletic in the air, whereas Joe is that real right lock who is going to play at around 125kg and Ireland just don’t have men like that.”
Vanstone recalls how McCarthy returned to school a few months after graduating and had stacked on muscle over the summer months after training hard with Paddy to push on to the next level.
Smeeth and Vanstone both describe McCarthy as an understated character but reports from Ireland’s World Cup camp suggest that he has well and truly come out of his shell. His team-mates describe him as someone who brings fun to the environment.
“When he was in school, Joe would quietly go about his work but I think what’s happened is that he’s found an environment he’s really comfortable in now and he’s got a lot more belief in himself based on his body of work of the last few years,” says Vanstone.
“He’s getting incredible coaching and information in Leinster and Ireland but also from those players he’s surrounded by. I’d imagine when he first started, he’d have been watching and listening but clearly now he’s more comfortable and they’re seeing that side of him.”
Whatever about his nature off the pitch, McCarthy is something of a savage on it. Ireland boss Andy Farrell likes that about him. Farrell wants that kind of dog in his team.
It has meant that McCarthy has been prone to giving up penalties at times, but his discipline is something he has worked very hard on.
“He plays on the edge and that maybe worried me at the start but you have to remember Joe is still 22,” says Smeeth. “He throws his body into things.”
McCarthy’s two former coaches are also keen to highlight how diligent he is in his approach to rugby. The second row is a good student too, doing very well in his Leaving Cert and now being close to finishing a degree in Global Business.
Vanstone also flags how McCarthy was always thankful for how his coaches helped him. He returns to the 2019 quarter-final defeat for an example.
“Joe was one of the guys who sent us a message afterward to express his gratitude even in his disappointment of being beaten,” says Vanstone.
“He never forgot the work that was put into him as a player. That’s a snapshot of Joe.”
McCarthy’s desire to keep getting better has been obvious to both since the big lock moved on up the Irish rugby ladder.
“Ireland have a lot of skill and whereas Joe might have been a little bit awkward on the ball, he has really worked on that,” says Smeeth by way of example.
Vanstone explains that McCarthy’s lines of running have improved, with the 22-year-old picking smarter angles, while he enjoys watching how hard McCarthy works to get back in the game after making a tackle.
They’re in agreement that McCarthy is only getting started. There’s more to come from a young man who never looked like reaching these heights when he was in school.
In that sense, McCarthy is similar to current Ireland team-mate Hugo Keenan, another Blackrock alumnus, who was famously on the D team at one stage in school.
It obviously helps to be in a rugby nursery like Blackrock, but Vanstone says McCarthy’s rise is a prime example of the door never being closed.
“You have to have your eyes open to those players that will develop their skills later, develop physically later, maybe come in from other sports,” says Vanstone.
“Brian O’Driscoll is the classic example from Blackrock. He did very well in school but I don’t think anyone would have expected him to reach the levels that he did when he was so young. This was before my time but I watched his quality in amazement from afar.
“Joe and Hugo are just huge success stories for all the boys and girls who stick at the sport they love or even change into a new sport. There are still opportunities for them and coaches need to keep their eyes open, not close the door to them at a young age.”
What deya think about that Kieran Donaghy???
Haha brill. Kerry got dirty and roughed up Donegal Armagh-style. Their foul count was incredibly lop-sided. They played puke football.
But now it’s claimed that it’s just because it’s win at all costs. Well if Kerry were in ulster then they’d be playing that way all season and if not then they’d have a very long route through the qualifiers, not parachuted into the quarters via Munster.
Kerry- welcome to our world!
All that aside – Donaghy brought this retort on Kerry himself. Can you imagine Murphy saying the same to Spillane when he won man of the match in the 2012 decider? No – cos that’s not classy.
Foul count:
1st: Kerry 10, Donegal 1
2nd: Kerry 7, Donegal 14
Final: Kerry 17, Donegal 15 – very lopsided.
“Hammer the hammer” eh?
That set the tone for the game. I remember hearing on radio 1 at the time Murphy was getting elbows into the back etc etc Armagh style. Dermot Early the Kildare star was sat beside me and couldn’t believe it.
Donegal are well able to get stuck in. They are no shrinking violets .
Joe Brolly wrote them off and they won the All Ireland. He is a mouthpiece that craves attention. Give it a rest Joe, nobody cares.
He’s hardly the only one who wrote Kerry off this year, most Kerry people did the same earlier in the year.
Including Spillane.
He has a point. Kerry were definitely infected by the puke football virus last Sunday.
Look, Kerry did what they had to to win the match, playing within the rules. No, it wasn’t a pretty final, but finals are for winning.
If Brolly had said what he did in reference to Pat Spillane’s post-game comments, fair enough, as Spillane was pretty blinkered, as is his wont. But the Kerry camp haven’t come out with any of the haughty comments he seems to attribute to them (unlike in 2004, for instance, when their county chairman claimed that they had restored the “honour” to gaelic football, following their All-Ireland win, which was a clear dig at Armagh and Tyrone).
Brolly makes a lot of personalised comments about amateur sportspeople, who give up their time in persuit of a very noble ambition. He should stick to analysing the game rather than indulging in these theatrics.
The kerry players who won there first all ireland have the same number as joe .
Kerry played football against cork. Footbal against Galway and had 2 amazing open high scoring games against maybe that all including brolly enjoyed. Then kerry play 1 game of this puke football invented by Northern teams over 10 years ago and all of a sudden they are the girl from the exorcist???? Kerry will never play this way again until they meet someone who does. Fight fire with fire. They did what they had to do. Brolly had to write this rubbish because he just had to respond somehow to donaghy. We need some new young fellas in.
U obv didn’t see the 12 men they played with behind ball against cork and mayo can’t comment for Galway didn’t watch Galway game live , tacti all yr was play with jod and 1 other in full forward line
They got a high score against cork alright but they definitely approached the game with a defensive mindset. They had alot of men back behind the ball for most of the game leaving a two man full forward line. Naivety on corks part led to a mountain of open space in between the 20-45 where kerrys superior kick passing came into play.
Donegal played defensively against Dublin and still managed to score 3-14. Kerry kicked some truly woeful wides, especially in the twenty minutes or so after half-time. It was a really poor game, and Kerry played their part in it.
But who cares? I’m sure Fitzmaurice and Donaghy aren’t going to be calling emergency meetings this week to attempt to overhaul their tactics on time for the league. They did what they had to do, and any county supporter would accept that, if the ends justify the means. Kerry are the All-Ireland Champions.
Hopefully the Dubs return to the fore next year mind, with their attacking and creative flare ;)
The cork back line must be fair shite if kerry played 12 men in their own half and still kicked 24 points.
Those rose tinted glasses must be great! Kerry played this year the way they had to plenty of cynical stuff in with the football any team that wants to win an all Ireland have to do it to be fair both teams in the final were guilty of some terrible shooting which made for a terrible match I didn’t feel there was the usual sense of urgency in the match that is typical of finals maybe both teams were guilty of not playing their best football. Maybe the kerry fans should take brolly comment with a pinch of salt and maybe Spillane shouldn’t speak just leave the room quietly when the rest of them aren’t looking
Joe Brolly, the king of bullshit.
Kerry done what was required to win. Fight Puke with Puke(a well known quote).
Something brolly says himself.
What brolly is saying. Don’t get all high and mighty – if u were in Ulster Kerry would be playing that way day in day out. It’s what makes ulster football interesting tactically.
I’m not saying I like it. There are days when it looks amazing (Dublin game) and days when it looks dire.
But u look at Kerry v Mayo – their foul count was huge and they should’ve been black carded more than once. Their foul count was also huge against Donegal. 14-2 at one stage. Trying to rough up Donegal Armagh style.
Suck it up Kerry – you’re down in the mud now.
Fact of the matter is Peter, Kerry are not in Ulster. You do know the Kerry Mayo match went to extra time hence more frees being given. But like you said we’re down in the mud now, if only we had something to console ourselves, like another All-Ireland
There were far more frees. And I seriously don’t mind that if that’s a strategy – but Kerry can’t throw the cynical mud at us just cos we’re in ulster when the game their semi was marred with controversy, dragging and outbreaks of handbags.
Kerry had a gameplan to give frees away out the field and slow the game down against Mayo. It’s a simple strategy that worked.
Agreed. And just like Armagh they overstepped the mark a few times and should’ve got black carded. But hey we all know that ref had a stinker.
I think the boys and girls at RTE have adopted a ‘give him enough rope’ policy when it comes to brolly. His analysis and ott opinions, both positive and negative, are good for ratings as he gets people talking by provocation. He’ll say something eventually that they will have to distance themselves from in order to maintain any credibility with viewers and that’s when he’ll get the boot. A clowns only good for paying if he’s entertaining people……
Brolly is a pointless pundit. He offers no balance in his views and veers from lauding systems to puke football often within minutes. RTE needs a full clearout of some of the relics like Brolly and even Spillane and replace them with more current recently retired players who will have much more insight to offer. They have done it with hurling very successfully with fast eddie and donal og and football with tomas o se in fairness but they need to really move it on now.
Who would you suggest? Eoin Mulligan? or that other bearded tyrone man (can’t remember his name)
When Brolly is on TV people complain and whenever someone else is on the evening show they complain as well
The only thing that needs to be done is to get rid of Mr O’Rourke who sounds like a 90 year old preist and bring in Anthony Tohill again along with Brolly.
He should have his own talk show where he just argues! He amuses me to no end!
Did Joe not say at half time that Kerry were using the correct tactics?
Here is another column by the mighty Joe after Donegal’s excellent win against the Dubs – with the last line “As the Dubs have discovered, and Kerry are about to, he gets inside your head.”
http://gaeliclife.com/2014/09/joe-brolly-nobody-out-smarts-jim-mcguinness/
Ignore him he is only looking for a reaction to keep the muppet in the media spot light
There s no dirt down here, just a shiny canister we ll enjoy the sight off for the winter while drinking a few pints
Why can’t people let it go Kerry are the champs this year they won fair and square they fought puke with puke but people seem to forget the games they gave us before the final tactically they were right in there style of football you have to do what you have to do to win well done Kerry and joe brolly get off your high horse and retire
Totally agree
Bring back ‘Mailbag’ so we can send our letters into Arthur Murphy to complain about Joe Brolly!!
What is brolly implying here? should kerry have tried be noble, attack and leave space for Donegal to exploit on the break, as is the only tooth in their head? why play into their hands, let them attack for once! Liverpool tried playing the right way against chelsea last year and lost the league because Chelsea did what they always do, and what donegal do; counter attack when space opens! no one praising Liverpool…Sometimes fire must be met with Fire! If Kerry played this way all year Id be worried, but we got the best of mayo in two shoot outs!!..think he’s upset because Kerry now have another string to their bow! No more naivety! Cant wait for Tommy Walsh and The gooch to bolster the ranks next year! Ciarrai abu!!
I am not Dublin fan but they would have made light work of this Kerry side if they were in the final
First, Donaghy’s childish swipe in a live interview on international TV and now this from Brolly.
These guys ought to act their age and cop on to themselves.
And if my aunt had balls Mick. ……
Joe brolly get a life
Cynicism is running amok in football and hurling has become the more entertaining sport hence I understand why Brolly would get upset considering he is a man who loves football more than his wife and children.