THE STORIES THAT have emanated from Nowlan Park training sessions over the past decade are legion and legend.
Some of the latter are undoubtedly of the urban variety but the near-mythical status attached to these nights have prompted crowds to flock from the four corners of Ireland to watch in-house games involving Kilkenny hurlers.
Racing folk often speculate what might happen if Noreside native, Willie Mullins threw some of his equine superstars against each other, even just for the craic on his Closutton gallops.
A two-mile hurdle race involving Hurricane Fly, Quevega, Vautour, Faugheen, Annie Power and Un De Sceaux would have packed out any racecourse in the world.
A tantalising pipedream.
Hurling disciples saw the real thing and one minute of action disabused you of any notion that it wasn’t competitive.
Jackie Tyrrell marking Henry Shefflin, Paul Murphy covering TJ Reid, Brian Hogan on Richie Power or JJ Delaney taking Richie Hogan was nirvana, especially with Brian Cody an unobtrusive referee.
If you produced the goods in such an unforgiving, ruthless environment you got the nod, as was the case for left-field All-Ireland final selections Walter Walsh and John Power in recent years.
No surprise then to see the county’s camogie team adopting a similar approach, as they look to increase their tally of Liberty Insurance All-Ireland crowns from the 12th garnered in 1994, having only captured their first title 20 years previously,
“I don’t think we’re too far off of it” says Edwina Keane, when comparing the intensity of training games.
“We’re all fighting for our place each week. Our trainer (Fintan Deegan) gives us a clean slate and what he sees at training is what he puts out in the weekend. So if you’re putting in the effort, you get your reward.
“It’s kind of like what we’ve heard about Kilkenny men. The ball is thrown in and there’s no whistle. There’s nothing heard until the end of it. It’s a hard-out battle and whatever girls show in that will be out there at the weekend.”
A multiple All-Ireland victor at underage level, Keane has been established as a centre-back in recent years and won an All-Star as right half-back in 2013 when Therese Maher got the nod in the middle.
This year though has seen a relocation to full-back for the St Martin’s woman, after new manager Deegan was impressed by her combativeness in an early-season battle with Aisling Dunphy.
“At the start of the year I though he was messing putting me in there. So far, so good. I better not talk too soon.
“But again in training, you’re not going to come across tougher than Katie Power or Denise Gaule.”
The challenge is a mental one as much as anything. Dealing with the frustration of not hurling the amount of ball she is accustomed to. Maintaining the highest concentration levels.
“It took a while to get into my head that I can’t be drifting out the field and I can’t lose my player as easily as I might at centre-back.
“I have to tell myself there’s glue between myself and the full-forward. I’m the last line of defence so I’m telling myself I’m a bit of a brick wall at the back.
No-one is getting past me. No-one is getting to our goalkeeper.
“I was struggling a bit at the start thinking ‘I’m not involved in the play’ but if I can stop a goal that’s as important as running around out the field.”
That she only took up the game because a boy in her school told her she wouldn’t be able to hurl gives a glimpse of the 26-year-old’s stubborn nature.
It has stood to her as she has experienced three losing All-Ireland finals, in 2009, 2013 and 2014. Wexford, Galway and Cork have all shattered her dreams.
Last year was a strange experience. A hamstring injury ruled the State Street compliance officer out for most of the league and she was never able to win her place back.
Five minutes at the end of the decider gave her little opportunity to stave off another September defeat.
“To win it is the main thing. It’s one thing getting there but then after putting it in… the effort you made all year, the hard training sessions at the end of which you’re thinking ‘Thank God I’m still alive and in one piece’.
“To go up there then and watch the whole thing unfold and unravelling in front of your eyes, as it’s all gone downhill.
“It’s worth something to get there but it’s not worth anything when you go home on that bus the next day and you have nothing. You just have 60 minutes of playing experience but you’ve nothing to bring back with you.
“I have a bet with my Dad. He said he’d buy me a pair of hurling boots if I put the All-Ireland medal in his hand so I don’t want to lose out on that €120 too easily!”
Whatever it takes.
World’s most unlikeable sports star
The way the likes of Spieth and McIlroy have struggled with consistency shows you the incredible feat it was for Tiger to dominate the way he did for so long, he was the ultimate competitor and I miss him and so does the sport, badly. If he was to get another purple patch I’d pay anything to see him compete again
tiger had no problem finding the hole!
Yes Mr FicIlroy, you’ll need to get the finger out, otherwise there’ll be no “Sir Roderick” for you.
Rory’s problems stem from his putting.
the fact that to putt at the top level you have to be straight and true if your not in real life well it just carried to the greens.
Such bullshit. With that logic Tiger shouldn’t have been able to keep the ball on the green never mind be an all time great putter given his off course behaviour during his peak years!!
McIlroy is hard to like and it possibly comes down to the fact that he doesn’t feel comfortable been honest and just saying publicly that he is British and he should just get on with it and good luck to him. Nationality matters and Harrington and Lowry (if he is dodging mosquito’s) will wear the green with pride.
I doubt he gives a toss what you our anyone else thinks about his nationality, nor should he.
Think it’s everyone else that is defining him, getting pissed if he doesn’t pick their side or their absolute version of Irish identity. Some of the people at this have no problem saying “us” and “we” when talking about British soccer teams like Celtic, Liverpool and Man U. Rory has done more for Ireland than most sports stars.
Think his problems have stemmed from his throwing away the tricolour after one of his major wins and then coming out and saying he felt more British than Irish. If he had used his brains and said nothing at all like McDowell, Clarke and even the Jackal he mightn’t have created the identity problems he now seems to have in the eyes of the public over here. Since then he’s found it almost impossible to row back and the Olympic fiasco hasn’t helped either. Now he’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. His PR men don’t seem to have been very helpful either. The solution…. Just get on with what he’s paid to do and whatever you say, say nathin.
Missing too many short putts all year long, crusifing his game. Needs to learn how to read greens