NOT many inter-county managers offer to baby-sit your one-year-old daughter in order for you to attend training.
But that’s exactly what Lenny Harbinson did to ensure Kevin O’Boyle made one of Antrim's sessions last month.
The Antrim captain explains: “We had a session and Laura, my wife, was away at another function so my daughter [Aela] came to training with me and Lenny held her while I was training.”
It’s typical of the commitment of both manager and player.
And yet, at the beginning of the season, O’Boyle was close to pulling the plug on his inter-county career.
Harbinson, though, is a persuasive man.
He insisted O’Boyle attend a couple of pre-season sessions and if he didn’t fancy it, they would both shake hands and go their own ways.
O’Boyle agreed and has enjoyed every minute of this season.
“It was a phone conversation with Lenny at the start of the year,” says ‘Kobo’ “He said to give it a go. It was basically give Lenny a chance and see what I thought.
“So I said I would give it one last crack and see what pre-season was like and, to be honest, it’s probably one of the most enjoyable years I’ve had with Antrim.
“It’s kind of strange saying that because we didn’t meet our target which was to get out of Division Four. But I’ve enjoyed being injury-free, I’ve enjoyed being back playing and I’ve enjoyed playing under this management.
“Lenny’s is a different style of management. I’m getting to learn as a player and as a young coach.”
The Cargin man adds: “When you’re playing county football you have to give everything. I’m proud to be from Antrim. I want to go out and play to the best of my ability, and I want to go as long as I can.
“There are difficulties out there, with work, paying the mortgage and supporting your family.
“The commitment at county level is huge. I’m married and we’ve a young child. It’s hard. You’re out of the house four or five nights a week. Some nights you mightn’t be physically training; you might be out for meetings or recovery sessions, but you’re still out of the house and you’re missing different wee stages of your daughter’s development.
“But you can’t say: ‘Listen, I can’t turn up this night or that night.’
“You need to go the full hog. There are always ways and means around it.”
A manager who doesn’t mind holding your one-year-old daughter for you to do a recovery session is one way around it.
It helps, too, that you’re learning heaps from your manager.
O’Boyle (30) is a sponge for knowledge. He is currently teaching maths in Holy Trinity College, Cookstown and heavily involved in coaching teams in the school.
“With Lenny, every move is thought about. It’s almost like a game of chess and he challenges us as players.
“If you’re not performing, Lenny’s asking you questions why.
“You can see it through all the different stats and the GPS, there is no room for bluffing. You know your role, you know what you have to do and you can have no excuses. I’m a young coach and I’m teaching in a college and taking teams. I’m looking to learn all the time. Lenny is trying to get the best out of us. Whenever you stop learning you might as well retire.”
O’Boyle made his Ulster Championship debut in 2007 against Derry and has been a regular fixture of successive Antrim teams ever since.
He was part of Liam Bradley’s class of '09 who reached an Ulster final for the first time in 39 years and who pushed Kerry all the way in a memorable All-Ireland Qualifier in Tullamore a week later.
“When you look at the pedigree of our team in 2009, we had a lot of good players that could compete with anybody in the country.
“Maybe it was the way Antrim went for a couple of years because we didn’t hold onto all of those players. If you look at our panel, year on year, it changed.
“Even if you look at our strength and conditioning coaches, we had somebody different most years, whereas you see in Tyrone the likes of Peter Donnelly who has been there. They are building, there’s a process there.
“The likes of Lenny, Brendan [Trainer] and Fintan [Devlin], they are looking to build. We have a tight-knit panel together this year but they’re looking to keep it together for the next few years.
“We’re probably at the early stages of our development. We’re starting again and we have to accept that. And I think a lot of the boys do. We are a Division Four team. We were very close to getting out of it. The likes of Carlow had a good Championship last year and that gave them massive momentum and they’ve built on. So this group has to stick together now and continue with what the management has been doing.”
O’Boyle joined last year’s Antrim panel in the latter stages but due to hamstring and knee injuries he was never able to do himself justice.
But after a long rest, he’s recharged the batteries – and is glad he’s on the cusp of yet another Championship campaign with his native county.
“It doesn’t feel a long time since I joined Antrim - until you realise you’re one of the oldest in the team,” O’Boyle smiles.
“When you’re taking kids for Cul Camps and they’re now playing alongside you, you start to realise your age a wee bit.
“The game has developed from I joined in 2007 and it will continue to evolve. But that feeling of going into the Ulster Championship is still the same, from that first day as a teenager the buzz is still the same.”
