Finished for the day?
I’m my own boss [of a health and fitness club] so I can come and go as I please. That’s the beauty about having my own place. Just wrapping up now.
How do you react to receiving this GWA award?
Any award is a personal achievement, so thanks.
How was the club final win, everything you imagined it to be?
One word, I suppose: special. A very special achievement. To be beaten the year before and have the resilience to come back again and get back to an All-Ireland final. For a small little parish, it doesn’t happen often. But we got back there.
A lot of things were happening in the club. You had Joey [Holden], Colin [Fennelly] coming back to get us over the line. It was just a sweet one. Probably the best victory of my career.
It wasn’t just the final, it was the year. It was the semi-final, beating Ballygunner. That was special. That was a victory because we were being written off. Everyone was talking about Ballygunner being the best club team ever. It was a bit disrespectful after what our club Ballyhale Shamrocks has achieved over the last 10 years.
Ballygunner beat us in the final a year ago so to get revenge… revenge is sweet when it works out. We won that game. You’ve seen the celebrations afterwards. Even talking to other people, that game meant a lot to the parish of Ballyhale.
It’s not just us, it’s the club. It’s the people, the volunteers, the people who make the sandwiches after training – it hurt them as well that people were speaking so little of Ballyhale Shamrocks and regarding Ballygunner as the favourites… no fault of Ballygunner. The media and the press were highlighting that.
Felt like an All-Ireland Final v Ballygunner?
It certainly did. Two quality teams. They’ve won nine-in-a-row [in Waterford], we’ve achieved five-in-a-row [in Kilkenny]. So two massive, massive clubs.
People were saying whoever wins that game would most likely go on and win the All-Ireland and that’s obviously what the media were talking about – no disrespect to Dunloy or St Thomas’s.
That was probably the biggest game I’ve played in terms of the hype and what’s at stake because we felt as a club, if we lost that game, everything that we’ve done over the last five years would have been tarnished.
As a player, as management, as a people in Ballyhale, that’s the one that people wanted to win. And we did that.
The All-Ireland was a big one. A tough one. For the Ballygunner game, it was being said they were favourites, we were the underdogs. Straight away, for the final it was “You’ll beat Dunloy” or “It’s an easy one for us… you have the game won.” That was the most difficult thing. It was a very dangerous game. We very much emphasised that in the build-up because if you start listening to people we could get caught.
We respected Dunloy and that’s why we pushed on to win the game. They’ve won four-in-a-row [in Antrim] as well. So it was more relief when we got there.
We didn’t perform to our full calibre. I think we were a bit nervous after last year. Until really the 58th minute 'til we turned on the style and finished strongly.
Now 35, new father, own business to run – any part of you think this is the perfect moment to walk off into the sunset?
If my attitude was like that I would have went 10 years ago, after winning my first one. As a sports player, it’s all about the next one. Look, I’ve achieved unbelievable stuff with the club and county but your mindset can’t be selfish that way.
Yes, I’m married, I’ve a new-born baby, I’m very happy, life is good. I’m going into my job smiling every day so there is no reason to decide enough is enough.
In my life at the moment, I can control the controllables, which is great. And the business is flying. If it was struggling, yes, of course it would be very stressful. But I’m hurling well and I still believe in myself. As a player, you have to be honest with yourself. You have to say, “Look, I can’t perform anymore.”
The modern game and sports science, seems to be a stretching of careers and talent – the soccer World Cup was framed around another 35-year-old, from Argentina. Does it help to see at the very highest level that sports careers seem to be extending rather than shortening?
Yes. Coming from a strength and conditioning background, I do. If you leave a number define your career, even life in general, you’re playing on a losing battlefield straight away. Obviously monitoring your load is a day to day thing now. Sports science is evolving. It is allowing other people to perform to their maximum and get a couple of years out of them. Now we have GPS trackers so every training session, every match, is volumed. Before, or 10 years ago, every one trained the same way. Now, it’s more individualised.
If you’ve hit your load on a Wednesday, the strength and conditioning coaches can give you a day to de-load.
Every training session now is monitored to your GPS, to your recovery, to your wellbeing as well, which is great. On the field, it’s the same. if you hit your numbers in a training session, the guys will have a chat and ask “how are you feeling”. They’ll be thinking about injury prevention as well. It’s their job to keep lads on the field and not be the hard man and flog lads as well because that’s no good for the manager.
Is your planned return to be phased back into the Kilkenny set-up?
I’m on a strength and conditioning block right now. I’m working with the physios and the strength and conditioning coaches because I have a few little niggles that I’ve played through the whole club championship again. This is my fifth week off the field. I’m back on the field next week taking part in field-based exercises.
Derek [Lyng] has been great as well. I had a new-born baby and had a week or two there as well to spend time with the family, which is very respectful. I’m back in the gym doing four or five sessions a week.
Will you see any league action?
I more than likely won’t feature in the league with the few injuries I have. I’m back on the field next week. If things are okay and the niggles are gone, we’ll probably have a chat then to see about availability. The last two years, it has been intense.
At GAA Annual Congress last Galway minors have been moved into Leinster, there's mention of their senior club champions too being willing to go into Leinster as well. How would you feel about that as the most successful Leinster team? Not going to make things any easier?
It doesn’t bother me, really. If they come in, we have to beat them. So it doesn’t make any difference. If it’s going to benefit Connacht hurling because they have no game after they win the Galway championship until the All-Ireland semi-final. But then I don’t know what happens to Ulster?
Have Leinster or whoever wins Leinster then a bye straight to the final?
We would have to play them regardless anyway, if you progress. As a player, whatever team is put in front of you, you have to go out and beat.
When Galway came into Leinster, at the start, it was probably a very vocal topic. But it’s more modernised now. The day of over-thinking things or being negative about these things is gone. If it’s going to benefit Galway hurling and Galway club hurling, going to strengthen the Leinster championship, then that’s what we want. Because we want people going to these games.
Henry Shefflin was pictured at Ireland rugby training - have you much contact with him these days?
I don’t see him that much any more as he’s busy with Galway. Now, not so much, but during the summer when he’s out walking the roads because I’m a next door neighbour to Henry, I would. He’s usually out walking the dog so I’d bump into him.
As a manager, it’s good to go into other camps and pick up small little tricks. They are at a professional level. The way hurling has gone and the season – the league and championship is so condensed – it’s very much a thing where you have to look outside the box. In the Premier League they’re even playing games every three or four days and they are superior athletes. So as a manager you’re trying to improve the culture. As a manager or player, it’s always good to look elsewhere.
Has the business come back fully post pandemic?
It has come back stronger than ever. It took time. Because at the start, when things re-opened, people were sceptical of the virus. The fear around it. So it did take a couple of weeks and months. Now, people’s attitudes towards it is after changing.
Before you used to hear every Tom, Dick and Harry talking about Covid; now you go into a coffee shop and everyone is talking, everyone is chatting like normal. Covid is all about your immune system, your wellness, your exercise, how Vitamin D was going to help strengthen your immune system and make it less likely to pick up any virus, whether flu virus or Covid.
Most people over lockdown, because they had nothing else to do, picked up walking or cycling. Even looking at the Operation Transformation on RTE, they were a massive success as well. you could see all the people out walking and exercising. So the last months have been very positive.
Hospitality is up. People are back treating themselves. Because we’ve seen anxiety and depression rose over the last two years so that’s great – exercise is great for anxiety and depression. People are more conscious and are trying to live a healthier life.
Like anything, you have to have a good practice, a good product as well. We’re fortunate that my health and fitness club is a five-star facility. It’s only a matter of opening the doors and people came back in. It’s our job to service our members the best way we can.
Why Harper Mary as the name for your child?
We were just going for something different than the traditional names.
Mary is the name of my mother, we're paying tribute to her because she passed away in 2008. Nice to honour her name as well.
I thought hurling was commitment – by God, having a new-born baby is full commitment. As you know I’m gone three evenings a week training, so Niamh has done a wonderful job.
You asked the question about stepping away… I don’t know, maybe some wives and girlfriends put pressure on the husband on being away two or three nights a week. Niamh never mentioned anything about that to me. So that’s a massive support from her because it is tough.
You're a ciotóg playing hurling, obviously left hand on top and line up in orthodox fashion on that side. Yet you sign an autograph with your right - so which hand do you favour? Are you actually left-handed?
No, I’m not. I’m right-handed. I’m a little bit unusual that way. A little bit different.
Why hold the hurl with left hand on top and line up that way?
If you give me something to hold or strike with, I’ll pick it up with my left hand. If I’m writing something with a pen or shaking hands, it would be my right.
Very much ambidextrous? Possibly the best description?
Is it? I haven’t a clue. As a young boy, it was something I just took to and grew into it. It’s natural for me over the years growing up, as a ciotóg. I’m right-handed so it’s an advantage to me when I’m catching a ball – it’s more natural to catch with your good hand than your bad hand. So that’s one of the perks with it that my catching hand is available on my right side.
