Maurice Shanahan enjoyed his club hurling with Lismore this season.
"I love where I come from, I love Lismore and it was great to go back there. The ground was hard, the sun was out, there’s nothing better. I hope the clubs and the counties can get together and put a plan in place. It’s for the betterment of both to be honest. If you have club hurling in the summer, you can pick your best players going forward into the inter county set-up. It was great this year, even if we were playing week in, week out. That’s the way we want it as club players."
Shanahan is determined to give it his all for his beloved black and amber. "It’s great to give back to the club. I’m proud of where I come from; I’m proud of what everyone in Lismore did for me down through the years. Now it’s my time to give back to my club because I have more spare time on my hands. That’s one thing I will do in the future."
During the lockdown, he took up cycling and completed a 100K spin around Lismore in aid of Pieta House alongside Brendan Landers and Philip Lenihan. They raised €5,170. "It's very close to my heart. It was great that people came out and supported us."
Shanahan finished as top scorer in the Waterford SHC with 3-44 including 2-17 against Fourmilewater. The black and amber beat Fourmilewater, Dungarvan and Abbeyside but fell at the semi final hurdle to eventual champions Ballygunner. “In Lismore, we’re wicked hurt with our performance against Ballygunner. We didn’t turn up on the night. Even if we did, we probably wouldn’t have been good enough because they’re a serious team. We’re better than what we showed on the night.”
In hindsight, would they have done anything differently? “We could have packed the defence but you’re going to have to go out and win the game as well. The one thing about us in Lismore is that we don’t go defensive. You saw that with all the scores we got and conceded! We don’t play sweepers or anything like that.”
Big brother Dan could join him on the field again in 2021. "Dan is like a fine wine! Every year he says he's not going but the minute the clubs go back training he's the first fella back. It's a decision for Dan but I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him again in 2021 in a black and amber jersey."
Listen back to the full interview with Maurice Shanahan from WLR’s weekly GAA show Lár Na Páirce.
https://www.spreaker.com/user/wlrfm/larnapairceseptember25p2
