Winning eight of the last 11 Waterford senior hurling championships could give a club a sense of an entitlement, a feeling of complacency.
Gerry Cullinan, Ballygunner chairman, told the Irish Examiner he disagrees. When you point out that the recently-completed six-in-a-row suggests they’re ruling the club scene with an iron fist, Cullinan has evidence to the contrary.
“Most people will know we recently won the sixth title in a row, but in each of the previous five years we’ve had a close call. In every season we’ve had at least one game where we’ve been up against it.
“In 2014, for instance, we only just beat Dungarvan — we won by two points, and in that game they had a shot just at the end which went right across our goal.
“The year after that Mount Sion gave us a right good run in the championship and would have won only they just couldn’t get scores.”
Then there was the famous night the lights went out ...
“In 2016 we were under the cosh in the quarter-final against Abbeyside, rightly under the cosh.
“They were four points up and playing better than us when the lights went out down in Fraher Field, which has never happened before or since.
“We beat them in the replay the following week. In 2017 Lismore gave us a huge battle and we only ended up winning by two points. The year after that we beatRoanmore by three points, though it was probably a little clearer than that suggests, they got a late goal to get that bit closer to us.
In this year’s decider De La Salle came at Ballygunner hard in the second half, he adds.
“They were just a point or two behind at one stage of the second half before our lads rallied.
“We’ve had our tough games — probably one close shave every year, so it’s not as straightforward as it might look. We won the minor title this year — we’ve done well at underage generally so we have talent coming through, but you can’t take things for granted.”
Looking in from the outside it’d be easy to presume there’s some secret formula for the Gunners’ success. If there is they’re not hiding it.
“There’s no secret. It’s hard work. Now, it’s easier to do when you’re successful. If a club’s unsuccessful it’s obviously harder to get lads to training, but we don’t have a problem with numbers training on any of our teams. Even our intermediate team got to the county final this year and were only beaten by Ballysaggart by three points. Our junior side trained exceptionally hard this year and qualified for the knock-out stages of the Eastern Championship and were only beaten by Tramore. So that work ethic goes right through the club,.”
That senior side is exceptional, however. Cullinan has no hesitation saying it’s “the best team the club has ever produced”, adding:
“We have people who’ve been stalwarts, like the two Mahonys — the two older Mahonys, I should say, because there are two younger Mahonys on the way up — as well as Barry Coughlan, Shane O’Sullivan, Stephen O’Keeffe.
“Exceptional players. One year Pauric Mahony wasinjured and didn’t play in the championship — 2015 — and we struggled which shows how important he and the others are.
“When we play challenge games and league games, if the two older Mahonys aren’t there, for instance, it’s a big void left to fill.
“We depend on those big names, as every club does, but we also need the lesser-known players to stand up as well, as happened against Patrickswell in the semi-final.
"Mikey Mahony and Barry O’Sullivan were outstanding that day and made all the difference when they were needed.” Bringing those couple of players onto the senior side every year is crucial for clubs who want to stay competitive.
“It’s something you see happen with a lot of clubs which dominate for a few years,” he says.
“An exceptional crop of players comes through at the same time and the club does well with them, but then,because they’re all around the same age, when they go the club falls away too.
“On the other hand, we had to bring in younger players and they’ve all fitted in. Even the likes of Tom Gallagher and Tadhg Foley, who played in the earlier rounds of the championship but who aren’t on the team now, because they played in those earlier games we know that if we bring them on now they’re up to the standard.
“We’re very fortunate the team keeps ticking over.” They need all their aces for tomorrow, and the particular challenge of the Munster club.
“One of the things about Ballygunner is that they’ve always embraced the club championship right from the beginning.
“That’s true of all clubs, really, in the last 20 or 30 years, but back in the sixties it wasn’t taken that seriously. It often began the year after the county finals had all been played.
“Since the club started competing in it again in the last twenty-odd years, everyone involved has really taken to it.
"Players, management and supporters all enjoy the occasion — the trip to somewhere different if you’re not playing in Walsh Park, all of that. It’s very enjoyable.”
By Michael Moynihan - Irish Examiner
