EOGHAN CAMPBELL is still only 21, but hurls like he's 31.
The Ruairi Og defender hasn’t played at Croke Park before. Thursday's All-Ireland Club Hurling final against Munster champions Na Piarsaigh will be the biggest game of his fledgling career.
Most 21-year-olds would be shaking in their boots. But not Eoghan Campbell. He doesn’t do nerves: “Eoghan Campbell is that laid back he’s horizontal," quipped team trainer Terence McNaughton.
"You should see him when we do morning sessions. He’s walking onto the pitch as if he’s going to face a firing squad. Eoghan Campbell? Let’s put in the nicest terms: he’s not a morning person.”
At half-time of Cushendall's All-Ireland semi-final clash with Galway champions Sarsfields, a number of players were pacing the dressing room floor. Not Campbell though.
The centre half-back sought out a long enough piece of bench and lay down during the half-time interval. Perhaps he didn't see the point of burning up unnecessary energy by walking the dressing room floor. After all, Cushendall were seven points up.
Asked about this laid-back approach, Campbell says: “I don’t get nervous. I don’t do nerves at all. I don’t see the point in doing nerves. You have to take it as another game.
“We’ve been hurling together since no age and you’re doing the same thing over and over again, so you just have to approach it like that. Obviously you don’t want to think about the occasion too much. But you have to enjoy it; if you’re not enjoying it, there’s no point in doing it.”
It's no surprise to learn Campbell doesn’t have any set pre-match routine: “I’d just sit there, maybe dander about, have a joke with a few boys. Now, a few boys do get nervous on the team so you’re trying to make it easier for them."
The fact that he's making his first appearance at Croke Park tomorrow afternoon doesn't faze him one bit: “It’s just a pitch with a bigger stadium,” he says.
Interview with Cushendall stars Neil McManus and Shane McNaughton:
Campbell has emerged as one of the best defenders on the county panel over the last few seasons. His best position is wing-back but he’s played a large chunk of Cushendall’s season in the centre due to the absence of Paddy Burke.
The team’s regular centre-back has recovered from a broken bone in his foot but it remains to be seen if Campbell stays there or his redeployed to the wing against Na Piarsaigh.
For Campbell, the joy is found in those he's sharing it with: “We’ve been together for a long time,” he says.
“We’ve all grown up together. There were four or five of us in the same class and it’s great to play with a bunch of people you know so well. It's probably the most memorable time playing hurling,” adds the UUJ student, “probably because it was such a memorable Antrim Championship.
"We were behind in every game and it’s been a great journey and something I’ll remember when I’m retired.”
