Just Reward

One generally gets what they deserve in sport and we have no complaints after last Saturday. There has been a small dedicated core of lads training since the start of the year but simply not enough to challenge up in The Hague. We started against the hosts under grey skies and heavy rain. The opening exchanges were competitive as we swapped a couple of scores. I started the day in goal and was struggling to manoeuvre the wet ball to the areas of the pitch I wanted. My judgement of distance and height was a little off and led indirectly to the first goal. I tried to poke a puck out over Eoghan's head and into Conor's path but instead it dropped awkwardly short to Eoghan and spun off his hurley. A phase or two later and the ball sped past my left shoulder into the roof of the net. It was well struck but in the 'savable' bracket. Early in the second half, I struck again. I'd discussed with Martin before the game about trying to keep as much ball in play as possible. By not letting the opposition reset for puck outs, we thought we could get an advantage by finding our stronger players in more space. Such strategy comes with an element of risk and that probably isn't the best when you are rusty and dealing with a wet ball. Goal #2 came as I tried to take a ball down from around crossbar height. It hit my hurley, helmut and the post before dropping dead just inside the line. Given the final score of 3-7 to 1-4, the goals were not decisive but they sure weren't a help. Game 2 would be against Paris who had edged Lux 0-8 0-6 in their first game. They had two key players so our plan was to neutralise them and hopefully have enough in other areas to win. Eoghan had been injured in the first game so a reshuffle was required. I went to wing-back and Hieler took over in goal. My opponent was a mountain of a man but I was happy to enage in the aerial battle. Our performance could be described as flat? or lacking hunger? or just plainly not good enough. We had a couple of golden goal chances; one fluffed from two yards and Lynchy had a goal disallowed as the pass in was incorrectly deemed a foul on the ball. Shane went within inches of another goal from a free but overall, we deserved no more than the defeat we got. Our final group game against Lux would double up as the 3rd and 4th place playoff. They had run Paris much closer than us but looked more interested in shortening the road home by the time we met them. We had the edge throughout and ended up winners in a low key contest. If nothing else, winning the last game of the day at least sends you home and into the following weeks training on a positive note. It may sound a little dramatic but the only way I can describe how I felt after Saturday is that I left the team down. The reason I say that is because we have very few experienced hurlers this year and as a minimum those guys need to perform. It's not good enough for us to breakeven with our men, we have to beat them and drive the team. Not enough of us did that but I think we realised during the course of the day. It all comes down to preparation in the end and we weren’t prepared properly. Mental note made. There were a few positives though. Hieler was very assured in goal. Fergal continues to defy his age and deliver. In fact, his preparation and application is an example to all of us. Mid-forties, high pressure job, 6 kids and he is still leading by example at training and matches. Ross was the find of the day, showing good potential and capping his day with a fine point. Tom Lane, one of the previously mentioned core trainers, showed a very good first touch and promise of his own. The forecast for the future is not so grim. Keary will return from suspension. Crusher will be back the next day. Eoghan should be recovered from injury. Darragh Cotter will join him and there are one or two more in hidden talents who we expect to see. We can't just turn up so bringing everything together at training is key.

Every Club Needs An Elmer

Elmer, second from left, back row - all round good guy

Kinsale G.A.A., Belgium G.A.A. and UCC Hockey Club are where I have spent most of my sporting days.

In a traditional G.A.A. club like Kinsale, your role is mainly as a player and you don’t really influence the overall running and direction of the club whilst you are playing. You play and someone else manages and administrates.

In UCC and Belgium, the club’s destiny is in the player’s hands. You play, manage and administrate. The success of the club is limited only by your application and ambition.

When I arrived in UCC, there was a brilliant committee in place. I had known Simon MacAllister from school and tapped into his entrepreneurial genius many days, buying twix after twix out of his book locker shop.

The others like Baz, Elmer, Jim, Jer, Ronan, Eamon, Phil & Co were outstanding clubmen. They ran the thing like a business and always with the clubs best interest at heart. All have gone on to be successful in their chosen careers and I can well understand why.

Belgium G.A.A. is like a carbon copy. I don’t normally shower the committee with praise but in general, they too are all capable, if sometimes misguided, people! Every motivation is towards bettering the club.

Whittle down the group though and you will find not everybody is perfect. In UCC, the likes of Jim and Jer were of an elitist nature and would not have always made the effort to befriend new players who may not have been first team material! (that changed when they could no longer get a run!)

One guy who ticked all the boxes was Elmer Morrissey, the ultimate clubman. No job too big or too small. As a player he epitomised what we all were; journeymen hockey players. We weren’t good enough for the top teams and wouldn’t have got enough attention at the also rans to develop our skills.

He served as Club Captain (Chairman) for a year and was awarded Club Person of the Year on one occasion. My own memories of playing with him centre around a game against CofI. We’d lost every league game up until Christmas that season. From the turn of the year, we went on a crazy run, drawing once and winning the rest of the games.

We travelled to Garryduff on the last day needing a win. 2-0 down at half-time, one would have thought it was curtains. The whistle that heralded the start of the second half also signalled the beginning of a Hollywood style comeback. 2-2 with time up wouldn’t be enough though.

There would be one final play. A ball was whipped across the goal and Elmer, normally a defender, dived full length to deflect it home. He left the pitch covered in blood as he had ripped the skin off his elbows and knees in the process. We won and College survived in Division 1.

The importance of that can’t be overstated. Relegation would have led to many players moving on to stay in the top flight and we’d have struggled to attract new quality players. It’s hard to know what the long term repercussions would have been. Would the lads have won the Irish Hockey Trophy two weeks ago if he hadn’t scored that goal ten years ago? Who knows, but there is a good chance they may not have had the chance.

Elmer didn’t always make the first team and would be fierce disappointed when he wasn’t. He would never sulk and his encouragement and passion for College were relentless. In my six years in the club, I never saw him behave in any other way.

He was a good friend to everyone also. In 2001, Kinsale played Ilen Rovers in the County Football final down in Bandon on a shitty December day. The lads wouldn't have been regulars on the G.A.A. scene but Elmer rounded a few of them up and headed down to support. Boys being boys, you wouldn't fully acknowledge how much you appreciate support like that but the fact I can remember the effort eleven years on shows I certainly did.

I can remember another funny occasion off the pitch. I was in a dispute with my girlfriend of the time, relations may have even ceased. We were sitting outside of the library around exam time when we bumped into her. Somehow, the three of us ended up spending the day at the beach and by the end of it the relationship was back on track and Elmer was gone on his way!

Last Monday morning, I got a text off Jim saying the news on Elmer isn’t good and there was a link to an article. I was shocked to read that Elmer and three other crew members had been swept off their boat by a wave. Despite a two day search, they could not be found. Elmer was lost at sea.

Facebook gets too weird for me at times like this. So many comments, all made so publicly. My attitude turned a little as more and more people started tagging Elmer in photos. It became like a journey through his life in the digital photograph era.

On Wednesday, some of the hockey lads kicked off an email to a few of us who would have played together, looking for stories. Two days of hilarious tales followed.

My only contact with Elmer in the last few years was via the blog and an odd Facebook comment but the stories brought back so many good memories and reminded me what a hero and example he was to everyone.

The group of UCC lads I mentioned at the start have remained best of friends and I can only imagine how cut up they must be. Elmer would have been one of Jim’s best men at his August wedding.

Through the email chain, they agreed to go to Elmer’s memorial tomorrow in the club ties. We’d wear them for all the big occasions in college; cup games, varsities and Hockey Ball. It seemed fitting.

The link to the Hockey club reminded me of the importance of UCC Hockey in all our lives. It was probably always my way to move on to other things and location was a big part of me doing that. However, I’ve always visited the likes of Vinny, Lenny, Kingston & Jim when I’ve been to the US, London or wherever they may be and enjoyed reminiscing about those times.

I'd feel very lucky to have found a club so similar to UCC, here in Belgium. We live life the same way we all lived it back in college and that's the right way to do it. In the most unfortunate way, this week is a reminder to keep doing what we are doing.

And if you don't believe me....http://sport.irishexaminer.com/post/2012/04/19/e2809cThe-worst-thing-hee28099s-ever-done-to-any-of-us-is-leave-our-lives-too-soone2809d.aspx

Small Ball Fever

It's time to hurl again. Actually it was time around six weeks ago but I only hit my first ball with purpose last Monday. Not role model behaviour I know.

It was intentional. Last year was the worst year I had playing hurling on a personal level. With each passing season my back screams louder. Hockey has already been cast aside to preserve its use a little longer and now my hurling training regime is narrowed and tailored accordingly.

I did go for a puck around in the Parc a week before the first football tournament. It was light, no more than striking the ball twenty yards apart from Crusher. Even after that, I struggled through football training the following week and lasted twenty minutes outfield at the football tournament. The joys of the ageing process.

I've been on my best behaviour for the last three weeks though, not having participated in any sessions with the big ball. Two days from our first tournament, I'm mad for road.

Hurling has gone full cycle since I first arrived. The story from 2005 to mid-2008 was one of trauma. We travelled Europe with the bare bones. Occasionally we would rally and scare the opposition but those days were few and far between. It began to turn in the summer of '08. We lost an epic final to Luxembourg after extra-time in our home tournament before claiming our maiden (with the exception of one tournament in '06 where we were loaded with ringers) victory in Zurich at the end of the season. That started a ten tournament unbeaten run and march to two European Championships.

The clouds were gathering last year and we plodded through the first three tournaments with little success. Intent on at least leaving some mark on the season, we saved our best performance of '11 for our home tournament last summer. We knocked the Hague out of contention for the overall Championship and then topped it by beating Zurich in the final, despite them claiming the 2011 Championship on the same day. That win surpassed nearly all of the ten-in-a-row.

Why so? Simply because we were at the pin of our collars to win it. Many of those ten wins were blow outs but winning isn't the same unless you've had to empty it to achieve it. The other teams were struggling while we were thriving and the enjoyment wasn't there.

Hurling isn't a game where you can just turn up and go through the motions. Your standards drop, your touch and striking can become more error prone as the complacency sets in. You have to be going full pelt and be engaged in both a battle of skill and physicality.

We're struggling big time at the moment with numbers and have lost the cream of our hurling crop. Still, it’s hard not to look forward to the weekends action. They say there will be five teams participating which shows hurling is going well in the other clubs in Europe. It also means we will get lots of hurling under our belts. The pitch in The Hague is always excellent and will hopefully remain so after the rain this week.

I haven't tracked our numbers but we should have eleven. The most important thing guys have to focus on is making a contribution. Lads mightn't realise it sometimes but at training or matches they are just bodies on the pitch making no contribution. We need to get the most out of everyone this weekend which means we must all find a way to contribute. That can come in many forms; scoring, hooking, blocking, fielding, running etc. Put simply though, it means bursting your balls and fighting for every single ball.

Rd1 Defeat Overshadowed

Difficult to write this one without becoming a little animated. There was one event which unavoidably dominates Rd 1 of the Benelux Championship. Mid-way through our second game of the day (against Den Haag), a couple of melees erupted, one spilling over from the sideline. There was nothing overly serious in either and calm was restored relatively quickly. Or maybe not.

A fairly standard free was awarded to Den Haag around their square. As the players moved away to their positions, Timmy was punched in the side of the head and knocked to the ground.

The player was red carded but the consequences for Timmy would be greater. In the immediate aftermath of the game, he came up to me, with a mouth full of cotton wool and blood pouring out the gaps. He said he couldn't play on outfield but would go in goal. Sums him up pretty well. There was only one place he was going though and that was to the hospital.

To make a long story short, he returned to Brussels with a cracked tooth and two fractures in his jaw. He was operated on last night at 18h and returned home this morning, facing into four weeks with his jaw wired shut, eating through a straw. This blog isn't a forum for further elaboration on the incident itself so for once I will hold my council.

Anyone who has lived away from home will know well the feeling of isolation when something bad & personal happens to you. It's a miserable place to be. Timmy's handling of the situation has been unreal though. He had to go to two hospitals when we got back to Brussels on Saturday night but still joined up with the team afterwards. On Sunday, another hospital visit and then there was a going away party for Griff in his gaff and he stayed in relatively good spirits sucking on his Mr. Freeze for the night!

Shane Ryan, as only he could do, summed up the feelings of all. He said his best moments in G.A.A. have been lived vicariously, citing Limerick '11 as one example. His worst moment was also vicarious (correct use Shane). Seeing a friend and teammate having to suffer through such a situation, having done so little to provoke it, is fairly sickening.

In some ways it highlighted to us all how lucky we are to have the club. Fellas rallied around quickly to keep his spirits up. Texts poured in from former players and Den Haag player Paul Bradfield, currently working in Uganda, sent a very sincere text on Sunday expressing his regret at the incident. The girls came up trumps with the soup too (mental note; be nicer to the girls).

The incident put the football in perspective but there was still some played so some summary is necessary.

Controlling the controllables is a good way of looking at your preparation. We failed miserably in that department on Saturday. When our first game was due to start at 10h30, there were three Belgium players on the pitch. It had Munich Bus disaster written all over it.

On that occasion, a massive row killed our day. Having learned from that, I bit an almighty hole in my tongue and proceeded as if nothing happened. We lost the game by a point to a team who travelled two hours further that morning but were still on the pitch to prepare properly. Whether the game was won or lost due to this is impossible to tell but as we said in the day’s wrap-up, there should not be a question mark over something that is within our own control. Lesson learned and we move on.

Next up was Den Haag. We stood off their forwards and they raced into a first-half lead. We clawed our way back into it in the second half but the gap was too big to close and Timmy's loss too great a burden to carry in our forwards.

Amsterdam needed to beat us to secure a final place. Having broken a 16 game losing streak against Den Haag earlier in the day and with a win against us chalked up earlier in the month, they would have fancied their chances. We were fairly pumped though, not wanting to leave a tournament without a win. In Tim's absence, the captaincy was transferred to Griff, who was playing in his final tournament.

His brief was fairly simple; set the tone for how we are going to play for the rest of the year. He did just that, literally diving around the place to get the ball. An equally impressive contribution came from Ross who notched 1-1 from wing back. We won 2-6 to 1-5 having survived a late barrage on our goal.

The day was not over as we had to face the same opposition in the 3rd/4th place playoff. There wasn’t much between the teams in the first game and we expected another big challenge. These games can be deemed meaningless by many but a win would but a different perspective on our day and send us back into training on a positive note.

We were in our stride at this stage and led from early on, closing it out 3-6 to 0-7.
While all that was going on, our Shield team were in action on the other pitch. They lost the opening game to Amsterdam B but picked themselves up to beat Dusseldorf 0-5 to 0-2 to qualify for the final.

That game highlighted the main issue of the day for the team which was their attacking play. Personally, I was very disappointed with it as guys who were doing the right things at training were unrecognisable.

There was a hesitancy to shoot, uncertainty in possession and a lack of vision on the ball. That’s a fairly damning assessment but it’s based on an expectation created in in-house games by the players themselves. There was no question about guy’s effort or commitment but the decision making betrayed them.

The root cause of this has to be a lack of experience. Most of the guys haven’t much football under their belts so it highlights the importance of the in-house games in their (all of our) development.

Finally, the ladies, playing in the new regional format, split their teams without an apparent dip in performance. They squared off against Holland in the final and ran out victors in an exciting game.

Fortunately for some of you, I’ve spared you the detailed analysis because I’m still chewing over the stats and video collected at the weekend!! More to follow...

Benelux Rd 1 - Resilience the key

Round 1 of the Benelux Shield and Championship this weekend. It is notable for the inclusion of a Shield for the first time in a Regional competition.

This is a very positive step forward as it provides all the players with competitive games. Previously, established teams, second teams and newly formed teams were all grouped together. The result was some very lopsided encounters which did no-one any good.

By splitting the competition, it is hoped participation can be increased by giving players more meaningful games.

In the Championship section, it will be ourselves, Amsterdam, Hague and Lux. Early season form suggests we go into Saturday a little bit behind the rest after defeats to The Hague and Amsterdam a few weeks ago. Lux surprisingly travel with one team which may indicate they'll be going gung ho for a win. Early season duals are always difficult to predict due to the influx and exodus of players over the winter.

We will face off against Amsterdam and Dusseldorf in the Shield and there shouldn't be much between the teams here.

Normally there would be no talking to me the week of a tournament. There's a load of crap to worry about; chasing players, organising lifts, picking panels etc etc. Of course, Collie B takes the lead in most aspects but I feel some stress as we want everything to go smoothly. I feel relaxed ahead of the weekend and that’s probably down to our preparation.

We've had a team from Wexford over, travelled to The Hague invitational and had two in-house games. Training has been fairly well attended and we've mixed fitness, skills and games well. We've focused much more on attacking play and probably did more shooting in the last two months than the half year I was taking training in 2011!!

It's as good a group as we have had in terms of attitude and application. The fact we are travelling with 26 players, despite lads continuing to leave, is testament to that. In addition, Paddy and Al are injured but they too will travel to help out. Conan will have his Bainisteoir bib so we will be 29 in total. No mean feat.

Resilience is the underlying trait of this group. I don't think there are too many clubs, who could have suffered so many exits & injuries, still get two teams out and be competitive. We'll need buckets of it over the coming months because the task that faces us is significant.

We know we are not yet at the standard to win a Championship and Shield at the business end of the year. We must improve from last year and that doesn't happen over night. Our play must evolve and be a little bit more about adventure than containment.

We're definitely on the right road and I reckon we wouldn't be a bad outside bet for the weekend. You always have a chance in the Regionals and with two balanced panels we go to win.

Captains

The importance of a captain is debatable. We've all had good and bad ones, picked with different motivations and reasoning.

In Belgium football terms, we have had four. In 2008, it was Emmett Devine, a real 'does what it says on the tin' kind of guy. 2009, we had Cluxton. For him it was a bit of a poisioned chalice. We'd won the Championship in 2008 but had to contend with the disruption caused by European elections and other things in early '09. There was a culture of excuse making during the course of that year and we were happy to blame blame blame. If we had the attitude we have now, back then, we wouldn't have wasted a year. Just a case of bad timing for Clux.

2010 sprung a surprise. Something needed to be done to get myself and Eoin on the same page. We could rebel against each other or we could work together. We chose the latter and got back on track. Last year, there was a role reversal, Eoin took over the set-up with Conan and installed me as captain.

In the Shield, we have had many more, which would be the nature of such a team when you'll have guys pulled to the Championship panel during the year. However, Johnny Phelan was the most consistent person in the position. Last year, Eoin rotated it early in the year and I continued that policy later on with Paul Gavin having the role in Limerick.

So far this year, we've had a couple of challenge games and in-house games and appointed different guys in each. I think its important to see guys for a couple of months and observe their approach to communication, training, matches and the general way they carry themselves in the set-up.

I hate using lingo, but we've long felt a lack of 'leaders' in the group. However, since last summer, guys have really stepped up in what has been a difficult transition period for us. People show it in different ways; some will be vocal, some will prepare themselves better and encourage others to do likewise, whilst some will show their hand in 1:1 discussions.

In coming to the decision about this year's captains, the discussion with Conan was concluded very quickly.

For the Shield, Johnny Phelan will again take up the reigns and look to drive the team on after last year’s success. He's back fit now and has been a good example of how you can improve if you apply yourself. He has now become a big part of the overall group and showed in Guernsey last year that he can step up to Championship level and make a contribution.

For the Championship, Timmy will lead us for the year. He was always a guy I wanted to be more influential but in the past he didn't exert an influence over the group as a whole. We relied on him heavily in 2011 and he stepped up big time and took the lead in organising the forwards during games.

Through the winter, both Timmy and Johnny looked after their fitness and they'd be two guys you'd see in the gym often. The thread continued into the early months of training. Rarely would they miss training and if they did, you would always know their whereabouts.

I mentioned already Johnny's improvement on the playing side but Timmy's has been significant also. He's looking strong and his direct approach makes him a very hard man to stop when he gets a head of steam up.

He sealed the deal with me on Monday night when he gave Fergal Mythen a dig in the stomach (they were on the same team!)!! We've designed a few games to get guys a little agitated and to coax the fire out of them. Timmy's team had just received a lesson in one of the drills and as we were preparing for the next round, he was out beating the drum to the lads and getting them going.

We wish them both luck and hope they can lead us to silverware in 2012.

Griff's Last Act

I've received many emails over the last few years to inform me of impending departures. Yesterday another arrived. This time it was from Shane Griffen.

Griff was like the poster child for our new sum of the parts 'project'. Since last summer when our player exodus starting building more momentum, we needed to focus heavily on developing the players and not rely on natural talents which we may have previously had.

Griff was the roughest of diamonds. He arrived in 2010 as a wild buck. Raw aggression and intensity characterised his game. The flip side of this characteristics was that decision making was rushed and the tackling veering towards robust. It was a time when we were pleased with huge numbers and the individual focus on player development was lacking.

He was an integral part of the Shield team but his interested waned late in 2010 and into 2011. Living with Timmy and hanging around with most of the lads, he was never far from the fray. Come Championship time last year, he was back in the fold. Quickly the diamond began to sparkle and Griff stepped into midfield on the Championship team and looked like it been there for years. His decision making was sharp and his tackling refined.

Training wise he would be frustrating as he could go AWOL from time to time but lately he was there more often than not. Guys like Griff are critical at training because fellas feed off the intensity and it raises everything a level as a result.

In response to his email confirming his departure yesterday evening. he received a mission to compensate for his loss. With so many players having passed through in the last four years, there is plenty of scope for getting everyone together once a year for an annual match between current and former players in Brussels. Hopefully he will lead this initiative.

Griff's influence wasn't just on the pitch. It's a rare auld sight to see seven G.A.A. lads at a play on a Wednesday night but that was the case this week as we headed to Bozar to watch 'She Stoops To Conquer'. When he tells me he will miss the G.A.A., I'm guessing it’s not just the playing of it that he means but also that camaraderie which is evident through such support.