A youthful Hague outfit reigned supreme down in Budapest this weekend. Bolstered by a recent influx of young fellas, they had more hurling and mobility than ourselves, Zurich and Budapest.
We had to travel with just 11 players due to Yann and Daire Cott’s late withdrawals. It could have been worse only for Darragh Cotter and Ciaran Kelly booked flights late last week to make up a team. Having just 11 players was going to be challenging enough but to lose our captain, Crusher, only minutes into our opening game was a cruel blow.
He was on the wrong end of an outrageous pull that left both his legs badly marked but worse still, it was the knee where he had a cruciate op that got the brunt of it. There was no-one on any team in any doubt that it should have been a red card. Amazingly it was only a yellow. Crusher didn’t get his nickname for being a shrinking violet and the longer he was on the ground roaring, the more the life seemed to drain from us.
The game continued and we had to call on a Zimbabwean from the Budapest team to stand in full forward. The game was anyone’s for much of the second have but a combination of a lapse in concentration and a fantastic goal gave Zurich the platform for a deserved win.
We recovered to beat Budapest in the next game and points difference meant that a win against Hague would put us ahead of Zurich and we would qualify for the final. However that was a steep hill to climb as The Hague had already taken Zurich apart and were looking strong.
I didn’t need any more motivation but hearing an opposition player questioning whether Hague had slaughtered us yet helped me along. Crusher drives us on with his play and now the rest of us needed to pick up the baton. We also needed to remember how long we had travelled around taking beatings and how hard it was to get to the point where we were winning Championships. We needed to muster a performance to try and keep the dream of three-in-a-row alive. Those messages hit the right buttons and we made a game of it from the off, playing with the kind of intent that was lacking all year.
We had become 11 Belgian players again with the addition of Irene Kirwan from the ladies. She played full forward and looked to create space and hoover up loose ball. She got herself into some great positions but the pass never arrived.
The bit of luck you need to win wasn’t with us. Hague scored a point that was clearly wide and in fairness, their player even called it so. The point was given. In the second half Shane Ryan went for goal from a free and he was certain it was saved behind the line even if others weren’t sure. If those decisions were in reverse, the 1-7 to 0-8 score line may have been altered in our favour. Such decisions are part of the game though and you must believe they will even themselves out.
The game had another unfortunate incident when one of The Hague’s wingbacks damaged his shoulder and had to be taken from the pitch. The lad had just arrived this week to work for one of their lads but will now return to Ireland. They were livid, but Darragh Cotter who was involved in it hasn’t a cynical bone in his body so there was certainly no intent. We wish him a speedy recovery.
The result left us to play in the 3rd/4th place playoff against Budapest. After a shaky start, we pulled away in the second half thanks mainly to a hat full of Hough goals and an impressive cameo from Elaine in the second half.
Hague went on to win the final easily against Zurich, who like ourselves were down to the bare bones by the end of the day. It means they effectively have one hand on the trophy.
Best for us on the day were Willie in goal, Darragh Cotter and Keary at the back along with Shane in midfield. Fergal Mythen, at 43, also put in a good shift at full-back.
I had another nightmare. I could count on one hand the amount of balls I got to hand with the first touch and my striking was inconsistent. I was out in front to high balls but by connections weren’t solid and more frustratingly, my markers kept playing the hurley and getting away with it every time. It’s hard to put a finger on why I’ve dipped so much but it needs solving fast!
The tournament was run off by 16h so for once we were able to get out and about early in the evening. That meant we headed to see the Munster game before moving onto the dinner. Budapest is a lively spot and back in 2008 we found a great bar but could never locate it since. We managed to on Saturday night and most of the teams ended up there. It’s always good to catch up with lads you’d have been playing against for the last few years. I had a good chat with Billy from Na Piarsaigh (Cork) and Zurich. He still hasn’t told me whether his lovely Swiss wife has a sister or not and on this occasion was more interested in telling me about his new baby daughter! I’ll get it out of him eventually.
There were still lads sneaking back in until 6am but we were all up to head to the baths at 10. I’d say the locals are still scared by the sight of a load of pale hung-over Irish lads storming their sanctuary in gaa shorts early on a Sunday morning.
I’d feel more sorry for those who fancied a quiet stroll around the Zoo though. Darragh Cotter was struggling more than most to get out of bed. He took directions to the baths and made his way down. He queued and paid and strolled around for five minutes before realising that he didn’t fancy swimming with tigers. He was in the Zoo.
If we got nothing else out of the weekend, we’ve got a lifetime of mocking about that.
Of course, we must also note the performance of our Ladies who won their game. Only themselves and Zurich travelled so they played two thirty minute games and triumphed. They are now in the same position as The Hague in the mens and can secure the Championship in Zurich at the end of June. Congrats to Irene Kirwan on her player of the tournament award.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
EHC Round 2 - Hurlers Head East - Budapest
The 2011 fixtures threw up a slightly unfortunate run of fixtures for May/June. Back to back trips to Holland. Week off. Budapest. Week off. Frankfurt. Week off. Zurich. It's time consuming and expensive.
This weekend’s trip bemuses me slightly. The host club have never entered a team in a hurling competition and I disagree with awarding clubs tournaments in such situations, especially in hurling where there are so few teams and three of the regular attendees are dual clubs in the busy region of Benelux. I'm all for encouraging new teams but they should show their intent by travelling first and then hosting. However, I realise it's a bit of the chicken and the egg.
In any case, we will travel and in fairness Budapest is usually one of the best destinations from a logistics, cost etc point of view (when you have to fly). It's hard to know what level the host club will be. The driving force down there is a local called Adam Balogh. He learned all he knows in Kenmare of all places. Whether the team is littered with locals or if he can call on the plethora of Irish students studying there remains to be seen. If it is the latter then they should be very strong.
Den Hague are also travelling which shows their ambitions. In recent years, they have not journeyed to Zurich so I was surprised to see they are travelling this week. After victory in their home tournament, they clearly smell blood. Zurich will be there too and looking to avenge the final defeat to The Hague at the beginning of May.
Quite where we are I'm not sure. Somewhat unbelievably, our team is only being finalised this week as some guys booked but are not coming, others said they were coming but never booked and more may need to pull out late in the week. It will leave us tight on numbers but we have a solid team travelling.
We had a good initial reaction after the last tournament but numbers have been poor since. Martin has tinkered well with his drills but it's very frustrating when numbers are bad as it affects the quality of the drills and how much you can do.
Despite this, we at least know that the complacency will be gone. However, whether that has been replaced with a suitable desire to win will only be revealed on Saturday.
This weekend’s trip bemuses me slightly. The host club have never entered a team in a hurling competition and I disagree with awarding clubs tournaments in such situations, especially in hurling where there are so few teams and three of the regular attendees are dual clubs in the busy region of Benelux. I'm all for encouraging new teams but they should show their intent by travelling first and then hosting. However, I realise it's a bit of the chicken and the egg.
In any case, we will travel and in fairness Budapest is usually one of the best destinations from a logistics, cost etc point of view (when you have to fly). It's hard to know what level the host club will be. The driving force down there is a local called Adam Balogh. He learned all he knows in Kenmare of all places. Whether the team is littered with locals or if he can call on the plethora of Irish students studying there remains to be seen. If it is the latter then they should be very strong.
Den Hague are also travelling which shows their ambitions. In recent years, they have not journeyed to Zurich so I was surprised to see they are travelling this week. After victory in their home tournament, they clearly smell blood. Zurich will be there too and looking to avenge the final defeat to The Hague at the beginning of May.
Quite where we are I'm not sure. Somewhat unbelievably, our team is only being finalised this week as some guys booked but are not coming, others said they were coming but never booked and more may need to pull out late in the week. It will leave us tight on numbers but we have a solid team travelling.
We had a good initial reaction after the last tournament but numbers have been poor since. Martin has tinkered well with his drills but it's very frustrating when numbers are bad as it affects the quality of the drills and how much you can do.
Despite this, we at least know that the complacency will be gone. However, whether that has been replaced with a suitable desire to win will only be revealed on Saturday.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Amsterdam Curse Buried
The lack of blog entry preceding last week’s tournament in Amsterdam was probably a good hint at my mood leading up to it. Aside from the team disappointment in The Hague hurling tournament, I was also pissed off that my back had shown no signs of recovery.
Early in the week I was fairly certain I’d pull out. I had a bit of acupuncture but again a bad reaction to it at training on Thursday. You get totally sick of it but the problem is, you also know a couple of nurofen will get you through the day and there in lay the inevitable solution for Amsterdam.
There was a feeling floating around that the year has got off to a bad start. However, in the football in Lux, we had split the panels, reducing our chances and in the Hurling there was literally only a puck of the ball between ourselves The Hague and Zurich.
Still, we needed a good showing in the Dam. I’ve this ongoing fear that we are losing our drive and moving towards being more of a social club, happy to turn up, rather than a competitive one, driven to win.
On Saturday, the teams were more in the direction of A and B but still with different guys given opportunities. Eoin’s team, which I was on beat Amsterdam B and lost to The Hague but still qualified for the semi by virtue of coming second. The big worry was the performance against The Hague though; totally lacking in bite and belief. We lost 1-5 to 0-4 and it’s the kind of margin that has been between the teams since they broke our winning streak in September.
Johnny’s charges had a tougher group, facing Lux and Amsterdam A. The first half performances were good in both games, especially the Lux game when they were level at half-time. However, on both occasions, we fell away in the second half. There were some big performances to catch Eoin’s attention with Alec, Mul and one are two others showing well. Duffer’s three points in the 5th/6th game will have been especially pleasing to the Mayo man.
In the semi’s, we faced off against Lux who were coming off their home tournament victory. There had been no indication during the day that we would deliver the performance we did. One positional switch which paid off massively was switching James into the corner and bringing Timmy out. James delivered a hat-trick in a game that produced eight goals, five of which went to us and they were enough to separate the two teams.
Our defence was looking ropey for a lot of the day and despite an improved showing, the goals we conceded were poor. We had also lost Kevin at this stage, although Collie B was growing into his more unfamiliar role of wing-back.
I was delighted to see The Hague qualify for the final, not because I have anything against Amsterdam but because The Hague have set the benchmark in European football over the last two years and you always want to beat the best.
They had a couple of new arrivals so were a stronger team than we played earlier in the day. There wasn’t too much shouting and roaring or huffing and puffing before the game. We knew that they had been swatting us away in the previous tournaments and that we needed to show more will to win the game.
It was a typical Hague-Belgium affair; a war of attrition. With a day’s football and a long journey under your belt, the final can often be a case of who can stay standing the longest. Each blow carries more weight as your legs begin to seize up.
Olof and Darragh had set the tone in the first half with some assertive midfield play. Our defence was much improved with Bob pulling the strings from goal. We were struggling to convert up front though and the 0-1 to 0-1 half-time score was a reflection of this.
The decisive score would come early in the second half when a long sideline ball found its way to Timmy. He did what we always ask him to do and backed his pace to split their defence and rattle the net. It was a goal our opponents wouldn’t claw back and enough to give us a badly needed victory.
The satisfaction of winning a tournament is up there with the feeling of winning any Championship game at home, especially in Benelux where all the clubs are strong. We saw that again on Saturday with Amsterdam. They’ve found it tough to break through in the last few years but look to be very organised Saturday. The set-up for the tournament was unreal, with two magnificent pitches. They had two full panels too and I didn’t see too many tyre-kickers on their B’s either. They’ve had an influx of new lads and obviously have a good set-up to be able to attract them and keep them.
Back to the final and beating The Hague is always a good feeling for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Also, in my head at least, they are our main rivals. I’m not sure if the rest of our team agree or how The Hague feel about us but that’s how I feel. Their best quality is their ability to dig in and grind out a victory. It’s a trait I believe I possess but not one which has been seen enough out of me since last summer. Hopefully Saturday went some way to addressing that.
It was good to see the final score of the game go to Ciaran Hudson. It was a great point after a break up the right wing. Hudson fell away unbelievably during his homeless summer in Plux last year. On Saturday he was very good, especially late in the day. However, he never fails to bemuse me. After one of the games, he asked me was I going to thank him for a pass he gave me! I just looking at him and reminded him that passing was one of the main elements of Gaelic Football.
Mike Lucey delivered big time on Saturday too. Last summer, he arrived over with Andrew and Ricky but the shift he was working was not conducive to playing football. He looked average on the C team in Maastricht despite having hinted at possessing good skills at training. This year he has trained very well and has integrated well into the group. He showed excellent on Saturday and kicked some great scores. Mike is the perfect example for everyone looking to break into the A panel.
Olof won player of the tournament and you could not begrudge him the honour. Darragh and Crusher would not have been far behind him either. Guys were naturally very happy on Saturday evening but Olof and the team’s reaction in the coming weeks is important. We’ve put a string of bad performance together so one doesn’t in itself guarantee anything. The performance on Saturday was better but if that’s how you think you should be judged, you must not just do it once, you must do it over and over again.
A win lifts all and training should benefit from guys’ increased desire to get their hands on a medal of their own. That’s a good place to be heading into the summer.
Early in the week I was fairly certain I’d pull out. I had a bit of acupuncture but again a bad reaction to it at training on Thursday. You get totally sick of it but the problem is, you also know a couple of nurofen will get you through the day and there in lay the inevitable solution for Amsterdam.
There was a feeling floating around that the year has got off to a bad start. However, in the football in Lux, we had split the panels, reducing our chances and in the Hurling there was literally only a puck of the ball between ourselves The Hague and Zurich.
Still, we needed a good showing in the Dam. I’ve this ongoing fear that we are losing our drive and moving towards being more of a social club, happy to turn up, rather than a competitive one, driven to win.
On Saturday, the teams were more in the direction of A and B but still with different guys given opportunities. Eoin’s team, which I was on beat Amsterdam B and lost to The Hague but still qualified for the semi by virtue of coming second. The big worry was the performance against The Hague though; totally lacking in bite and belief. We lost 1-5 to 0-4 and it’s the kind of margin that has been between the teams since they broke our winning streak in September.
Johnny’s charges had a tougher group, facing Lux and Amsterdam A. The first half performances were good in both games, especially the Lux game when they were level at half-time. However, on both occasions, we fell away in the second half. There were some big performances to catch Eoin’s attention with Alec, Mul and one are two others showing well. Duffer’s three points in the 5th/6th game will have been especially pleasing to the Mayo man.
In the semi’s, we faced off against Lux who were coming off their home tournament victory. There had been no indication during the day that we would deliver the performance we did. One positional switch which paid off massively was switching James into the corner and bringing Timmy out. James delivered a hat-trick in a game that produced eight goals, five of which went to us and they were enough to separate the two teams.
Our defence was looking ropey for a lot of the day and despite an improved showing, the goals we conceded were poor. We had also lost Kevin at this stage, although Collie B was growing into his more unfamiliar role of wing-back.
I was delighted to see The Hague qualify for the final, not because I have anything against Amsterdam but because The Hague have set the benchmark in European football over the last two years and you always want to beat the best.
They had a couple of new arrivals so were a stronger team than we played earlier in the day. There wasn’t too much shouting and roaring or huffing and puffing before the game. We knew that they had been swatting us away in the previous tournaments and that we needed to show more will to win the game.
It was a typical Hague-Belgium affair; a war of attrition. With a day’s football and a long journey under your belt, the final can often be a case of who can stay standing the longest. Each blow carries more weight as your legs begin to seize up.
Olof and Darragh had set the tone in the first half with some assertive midfield play. Our defence was much improved with Bob pulling the strings from goal. We were struggling to convert up front though and the 0-1 to 0-1 half-time score was a reflection of this.
The decisive score would come early in the second half when a long sideline ball found its way to Timmy. He did what we always ask him to do and backed his pace to split their defence and rattle the net. It was a goal our opponents wouldn’t claw back and enough to give us a badly needed victory.
The satisfaction of winning a tournament is up there with the feeling of winning any Championship game at home, especially in Benelux where all the clubs are strong. We saw that again on Saturday with Amsterdam. They’ve found it tough to break through in the last few years but look to be very organised Saturday. The set-up for the tournament was unreal, with two magnificent pitches. They had two full panels too and I didn’t see too many tyre-kickers on their B’s either. They’ve had an influx of new lads and obviously have a good set-up to be able to attract them and keep them.
Back to the final and beating The Hague is always a good feeling for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Also, in my head at least, they are our main rivals. I’m not sure if the rest of our team agree or how The Hague feel about us but that’s how I feel. Their best quality is their ability to dig in and grind out a victory. It’s a trait I believe I possess but not one which has been seen enough out of me since last summer. Hopefully Saturday went some way to addressing that.
It was good to see the final score of the game go to Ciaran Hudson. It was a great point after a break up the right wing. Hudson fell away unbelievably during his homeless summer in Plux last year. On Saturday he was very good, especially late in the day. However, he never fails to bemuse me. After one of the games, he asked me was I going to thank him for a pass he gave me! I just looking at him and reminded him that passing was one of the main elements of Gaelic Football.
Mike Lucey delivered big time on Saturday too. Last summer, he arrived over with Andrew and Ricky but the shift he was working was not conducive to playing football. He looked average on the C team in Maastricht despite having hinted at possessing good skills at training. This year he has trained very well and has integrated well into the group. He showed excellent on Saturday and kicked some great scores. Mike is the perfect example for everyone looking to break into the A panel.
Olof won player of the tournament and you could not begrudge him the honour. Darragh and Crusher would not have been far behind him either. Guys were naturally very happy on Saturday evening but Olof and the team’s reaction in the coming weeks is important. We’ve put a string of bad performance together so one doesn’t in itself guarantee anything. The performance on Saturday was better but if that’s how you think you should be judged, you must not just do it once, you must do it over and over again.
A win lifts all and training should benefit from guys’ increased desire to get their hands on a medal of their own. That’s a good place to be heading into the summer.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Belgium down, Hurling up
European Hurling came alive again on Saturday as Belgium was knocked from its perch and The Hague claimed the first tournament of the season at their home grounds.
Whether some decide to interpret it as arrogance or otherwise, the fact (which was backed up by results) was that a big gap had developed between us and the others. Winning alone does not motivate people and we've had a big struggle keeping guys interested due to an uncompetitive standard and the travel requirements and costs we face as a dual club. Numbers have been poor at training and as a result Saturday's performance was no surprise to some of us at least. We could see it hurtling down the tracks towards us even as far back as last summer.
We struggled in our first game against Lux and traded points evenly until mid-way through the second half when Colm and Shane put some distance between the sides. It was a scrappy game, as is often the case when two teams step out of their cars after hours on the road. I find it ridiculous that Den Hague and Zurich, both of whom were there on Friday night, were not down to play first. We had gathered at 06h50 at Schuman whilst Lux would have been up a lot earlier. This happens time and again at tournaments and would be a simple adjustment to make in the schedule and much appreciated by travelling players.
We faced The Hague next. Back in December, at the Hurling workshop during the County Convention, Sean Simpson had been saying they would give more focus to hurling this year. It proved to be the case as they looked a well balanced outfit. They cleared ball with greater ease and picked off their scores more efficiently also. On the other hand, we wasted a glut of goal chances and I contributed to the wide tally with a host of wayward frees. We lost out by two points but based on our performance, it could have / should have been more.
This left us in a tricky situation as we now had to beat Zurich and then hope points difference would go in our favour as ourselves, Zurich and The Hague would likely finish the group games on 6pts a piece. Zurich had a couple of great goal chances but a combination of Hielers reactions in goal and some last ditch defending, kept the green flag in its place. We trailed by a point at half-time but Ryano and Hough began to step up in the second half and we quickly took the lead. Zurich were in fine fettle though and regained the lead as the game entered its last moments. Enter Michael Hough. Anonymous for most of the day, he stepped up big time and had a lot of groundwork to do before he buried the winning goal to the back of the net.
The points difference didn't go our way in the end and that left us to playoff against Luxembourg for third place. We won it convincingly. Notable performance in this game came from Ciaran Kelly who won a host of first time ball.
In the final, The Hague reversed their defeat from earlier in the day against Zurich to claim victory after extra-time.
Naturally, we returned home frustrated and disappointed. In fairness, there wasn't much blame floating around as most guys felt they personally were not up to scratch on the day. For me, I could make a fairly long list of costly mistakes I made. My judgement was way out and that was also seen in my free taking which was cat. I can't remember playing so badly in a tournament and so much of it was down to personal errors rather than being taken to the cleaners by my opposing marker.
During The Hague game, I nearly had myself convinced to pack it in. I could barely move and that killed the confidence. It's a funny thing. You've been a situation a thousand times and know you've come out on top before but when the confidence is down, you no longer have control over the outcome.
There was one positive realisation though. Hurling is competitive again. Bar Lux who were missing a few, there was only a puck of a ball in every other game. We all want to win but we want to earn our wins. This year is shaping up to be a right ding dong battle and whoever is crowned champion at the end will certainly have earned it.
We have three weeks now to Budapest and that will be a tough trip given the distance. We needed big performances in The Hague and Belgium because we can't rely on numbers for Budapest and Zurich. Guys were saying all the right things on Saturday evening but we will have to wait and see whether that will be translated into effort in the coming weeks.
In the ladies competition, our Ladies finished much stronger than ourselves and after squeezing out of their group, they defeated Paris (who won all their group games) in the final. The standard of their competition was also notably higher with a lot more experienced camogie players on show than in the past.
Whether some decide to interpret it as arrogance or otherwise, the fact (which was backed up by results) was that a big gap had developed between us and the others. Winning alone does not motivate people and we've had a big struggle keeping guys interested due to an uncompetitive standard and the travel requirements and costs we face as a dual club. Numbers have been poor at training and as a result Saturday's performance was no surprise to some of us at least. We could see it hurtling down the tracks towards us even as far back as last summer.
We struggled in our first game against Lux and traded points evenly until mid-way through the second half when Colm and Shane put some distance between the sides. It was a scrappy game, as is often the case when two teams step out of their cars after hours on the road. I find it ridiculous that Den Hague and Zurich, both of whom were there on Friday night, were not down to play first. We had gathered at 06h50 at Schuman whilst Lux would have been up a lot earlier. This happens time and again at tournaments and would be a simple adjustment to make in the schedule and much appreciated by travelling players.
We faced The Hague next. Back in December, at the Hurling workshop during the County Convention, Sean Simpson had been saying they would give more focus to hurling this year. It proved to be the case as they looked a well balanced outfit. They cleared ball with greater ease and picked off their scores more efficiently also. On the other hand, we wasted a glut of goal chances and I contributed to the wide tally with a host of wayward frees. We lost out by two points but based on our performance, it could have / should have been more.
This left us in a tricky situation as we now had to beat Zurich and then hope points difference would go in our favour as ourselves, Zurich and The Hague would likely finish the group games on 6pts a piece. Zurich had a couple of great goal chances but a combination of Hielers reactions in goal and some last ditch defending, kept the green flag in its place. We trailed by a point at half-time but Ryano and Hough began to step up in the second half and we quickly took the lead. Zurich were in fine fettle though and regained the lead as the game entered its last moments. Enter Michael Hough. Anonymous for most of the day, he stepped up big time and had a lot of groundwork to do before he buried the winning goal to the back of the net.
The points difference didn't go our way in the end and that left us to playoff against Luxembourg for third place. We won it convincingly. Notable performance in this game came from Ciaran Kelly who won a host of first time ball.
In the final, The Hague reversed their defeat from earlier in the day against Zurich to claim victory after extra-time.
Naturally, we returned home frustrated and disappointed. In fairness, there wasn't much blame floating around as most guys felt they personally were not up to scratch on the day. For me, I could make a fairly long list of costly mistakes I made. My judgement was way out and that was also seen in my free taking which was cat. I can't remember playing so badly in a tournament and so much of it was down to personal errors rather than being taken to the cleaners by my opposing marker.
During The Hague game, I nearly had myself convinced to pack it in. I could barely move and that killed the confidence. It's a funny thing. You've been a situation a thousand times and know you've come out on top before but when the confidence is down, you no longer have control over the outcome.
There was one positive realisation though. Hurling is competitive again. Bar Lux who were missing a few, there was only a puck of a ball in every other game. We all want to win but we want to earn our wins. This year is shaping up to be a right ding dong battle and whoever is crowned champion at the end will certainly have earned it.
We have three weeks now to Budapest and that will be a tough trip given the distance. We needed big performances in The Hague and Belgium because we can't rely on numbers for Budapest and Zurich. Guys were saying all the right things on Saturday evening but we will have to wait and see whether that will be translated into effort in the coming weeks.
In the ladies competition, our Ladies finished much stronger than ourselves and after squeezing out of their group, they defeated Paris (who won all their group games) in the final. The standard of their competition was also notably higher with a lot more experienced camogie players on show than in the past.
Friday, May 6, 2011
"when it's there, it's there forever."
Tony Browne will turn 38 in July. I'll turn 30 tomorrow. You can't but admire the man. This year will be his 20th season of Championship hurling. His durability in such a demanding game is incredible. When you think how he has continued to achieve, it makes 30 not seem so bad.
In an Irish Times feature a few weeks ago, Martin Storey said this of Browne;
“We beat the head off one another. We boxed and tore into each other because he didn’t want me to get the better of him and I didn’t want him to get the better of me. And that is either there or it’s not there and when it’s there, it’s there forever.”
Two warriors going at it, not because of a hate for each other but because of the competitive streak that has sustained them both so long. I haven't been able to get the quote out of my head for three weeks.
Tomorrow we go to The Hague to start our defence of the European Hurling Championship and our quest for three in a row. Teams always talk this down as not being important and they are right. What is important is the Championship that is in front of you, not the ones that are behind you.
My biggest fear for Belgium G.A.A. is that we will become a social club, content with just taking part and losing sight of the ultimate goal of winning. I’ve a sense it may be creeping into guys mindset. Tomorrow will be a big test of that mentality. Complacency has set in over the last year and teams are getting closer and closer to ending our thirty two month unbeaten run.
In the final of the last tournament in Zurich last year, the game was in the melting pot until we got a late insurance point. The time will come when we are beaten but as I keep saying, it can’t be because we beat ourselves. It has to be because we tried our hardest but ultimately, there was a better team than us out there on the day.
Success sustains a competitive club. It’s the only thing that will. It’s going to be a good test of us all; whether we have the Tony Browne factor or not.
In an Irish Times feature a few weeks ago, Martin Storey said this of Browne;
“We beat the head off one another. We boxed and tore into each other because he didn’t want me to get the better of him and I didn’t want him to get the better of me. And that is either there or it’s not there and when it’s there, it’s there forever.”
Two warriors going at it, not because of a hate for each other but because of the competitive streak that has sustained them both so long. I haven't been able to get the quote out of my head for three weeks.
Tomorrow we go to The Hague to start our defence of the European Hurling Championship and our quest for three in a row. Teams always talk this down as not being important and they are right. What is important is the Championship that is in front of you, not the ones that are behind you.
My biggest fear for Belgium G.A.A. is that we will become a social club, content with just taking part and losing sight of the ultimate goal of winning. I’ve a sense it may be creeping into guys mindset. Tomorrow will be a big test of that mentality. Complacency has set in over the last year and teams are getting closer and closer to ending our thirty two month unbeaten run.
In the final of the last tournament in Zurich last year, the game was in the melting pot until we got a late insurance point. The time will come when we are beaten but as I keep saying, it can’t be because we beat ourselves. It has to be because we tried our hardest but ultimately, there was a better team than us out there on the day.
Success sustains a competitive club. It’s the only thing that will. It’s going to be a good test of us all; whether we have the Tony Browne factor or not.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Why it’s different
We have an open plan office at work. So open, the President is practically the only one with an actual office of his own. This means we are never too far from a colleague.
I’ve a Flemish guy called Nick sitting across from me. He’s a football fan but also a fan of sport in general. In recent months I’m bringing him up to speed on G.A.A. while he educates me on cycling (a Belgian favourite).
Last Monday week, the conversation naturally turned to Cork’s victory over Dublin in the football league final. I was still a bit animated about the whole experience and the extent of my gesticulating clearly indicated strong feelings about the Dubs.
Yesterday we got onto the hurling league final and I enthusiastically talked of Dublin’s victory over Kilkenny. After a few minutes he stopped me to confirm that it was Dublin who won and that this was a good thing. He was confused about how my feelings for the same county could swing in one week.
It’s impossible to explain to non-G.A.A. people (even some G.A.A. people in fact). I didn’t understand it for a long time either when Dad used keep telling me that the G.A.A. needs Dublin. But it does. The county is host to almost 25% of Ireland’s population. Their heads will naturally be turned in the direction of the city’s most successful sporting sons.
Last weekend Leinster overcame the French super power Toulouse to qualify for the European Cup rugby final but it was the hurlers who grabbed the headlines with the demolition job on Kilkenny. It was their first national title since something like 1939 and is the result of focused efforts over the last ten years.
Hurling is a game that faces an eternal struggle to survive. Mothers think it is too dangerous whilst potential players can be put off by how difficult it is to master its skills. The only way to get a foothold is to make it sexy. Success does that. Success will see lads pucking sliotars against gable ends and in parks and on streets in Dublin. That it happened in Dublin means so much more because Hurling is a sport which has been owned by Cork, Tipp and Kilkenny for the last 12 years. It needs a revolution like the 90’s and it needed Dublin to step up.
One swallow doesn’t make a summer though and the same side’s capitulation at the hands of Antrim last year will mean they won’t get carried away. However, based on Sunday’s performance, myself and Nick might be talking about them a few more Monday mornings.
Of course it’s important to mention Belgium G.A.A.’s link to the occasion. Eoin’s brother John is on the Dublin panel is one of the young crop of talented hurlers they can call on. A proud day for the Sheanon’s no doubt.
I’ve a Flemish guy called Nick sitting across from me. He’s a football fan but also a fan of sport in general. In recent months I’m bringing him up to speed on G.A.A. while he educates me on cycling (a Belgian favourite).
Last Monday week, the conversation naturally turned to Cork’s victory over Dublin in the football league final. I was still a bit animated about the whole experience and the extent of my gesticulating clearly indicated strong feelings about the Dubs.
Yesterday we got onto the hurling league final and I enthusiastically talked of Dublin’s victory over Kilkenny. After a few minutes he stopped me to confirm that it was Dublin who won and that this was a good thing. He was confused about how my feelings for the same county could swing in one week.
It’s impossible to explain to non-G.A.A. people (even some G.A.A. people in fact). I didn’t understand it for a long time either when Dad used keep telling me that the G.A.A. needs Dublin. But it does. The county is host to almost 25% of Ireland’s population. Their heads will naturally be turned in the direction of the city’s most successful sporting sons.
Last weekend Leinster overcame the French super power Toulouse to qualify for the European Cup rugby final but it was the hurlers who grabbed the headlines with the demolition job on Kilkenny. It was their first national title since something like 1939 and is the result of focused efforts over the last ten years.
Hurling is a game that faces an eternal struggle to survive. Mothers think it is too dangerous whilst potential players can be put off by how difficult it is to master its skills. The only way to get a foothold is to make it sexy. Success does that. Success will see lads pucking sliotars against gable ends and in parks and on streets in Dublin. That it happened in Dublin means so much more because Hurling is a sport which has been owned by Cork, Tipp and Kilkenny for the last 12 years. It needs a revolution like the 90’s and it needed Dublin to step up.
One swallow doesn’t make a summer though and the same side’s capitulation at the hands of Antrim last year will mean they won’t get carried away. However, based on Sunday’s performance, myself and Nick might be talking about them a few more Monday mornings.
Of course it’s important to mention Belgium G.A.A.’s link to the occasion. Eoin’s brother John is on the Dublin panel is one of the young crop of talented hurlers they can call on. A proud day for the Sheanon’s no doubt.
Monday, May 2, 2011
JOE - Maastricht - capital of European GAA
This weeks JOE article is a feature about Maastricht GAA.
The club is probably the smallest in Europe but boasts the only full sized G.A.A. pitch on the continent.
Tipp man Shay Doherty explained how the building of the pitch came about and how they hope to use it to build the profile of their own club and Euro G.A.A. in general.
http://www.joe.ie/gaa/gaa-features/maastricht-the-capital-of-european-gaa-0011750-1
The club is probably the smallest in Europe but boasts the only full sized G.A.A. pitch on the continent.
Tipp man Shay Doherty explained how the building of the pitch came about and how they hope to use it to build the profile of their own club and Euro G.A.A. in general.
http://www.joe.ie/gaa/gaa-features/maastricht-the-capital-of-european-gaa-0011750-1
Time to get on with it
I never got around to writing my planned entry the week before Easter. It was going to be upbeat, based on a ten day period where I managed to take part in all of the hurling and football sessions with just minor reaction. Ah yes, I was back.
Then I went to Ireland for the weekend and continued to feel good until I got the driver out and hit a few golf balls in the driving range. I was in John Daly mode for the bucket of fifty balls. However, nearly before I even had the club back in the bag, I realised that it was a half hour which could have been spent more wisely. That point was emphasised after about ten minutes of training last Thursday when I had to drop out. The sense of frustration is only imaginable by those who suffer repeatedly from the same injury.
What makes this worse is that we have a busy month ahead starting with hurling this Saturday in The Hague, football in Amsterdam the week after and then a two week break before we head to Budapest for round 2 of the hurling. It is not an option to miss the hurling at the weekend so one must just get on with it.
We've lost some good lads from last year, most notably Jim McGrath and Eoin Sheanon. Word on the street is that the opposition has been bolstered over the winter so we can expect a serious assault on the Championship from a number of clubs.
Our dominance has stretched back to September 2008 which must be one of the longest, if not the longest tournament winning streak in any code in Europe. However, we danced dangerously with complacency towards the end of last year and Zurich especially started to get us in their range. We'll be caught at some stage either because we are not tuned in or we come up against a better team. You could be forced to accept the latter but not the former.
Still, our team is formidable. Crusher, Shane, Hough and Daire Cott provide a solid core whilst much will be expected of our two newcomers Darragh Cotter and Colm MacEoin.
We've been seeing more of Daire Cott this year and his presence at training is a big boost. He is by far the best hurler I have seen since I came here and the way he approaches the ball in training is a lesson for us all. He's a powerful operator and training with quality players raises all of our level.
Success in The Hague and our home tournament in Belgium will be key this year. Budapest and Zurich will be tough trips to motivate the group for. I certainly can feel the strain from the time and cost of travelling to tournaments and I think a lot of guys will be thinking hard about whether to travel or not to those two. A good start at the weekend would sway the doubters though.
Then I went to Ireland for the weekend and continued to feel good until I got the driver out and hit a few golf balls in the driving range. I was in John Daly mode for the bucket of fifty balls. However, nearly before I even had the club back in the bag, I realised that it was a half hour which could have been spent more wisely. That point was emphasised after about ten minutes of training last Thursday when I had to drop out. The sense of frustration is only imaginable by those who suffer repeatedly from the same injury.
What makes this worse is that we have a busy month ahead starting with hurling this Saturday in The Hague, football in Amsterdam the week after and then a two week break before we head to Budapest for round 2 of the hurling. It is not an option to miss the hurling at the weekend so one must just get on with it.
We've lost some good lads from last year, most notably Jim McGrath and Eoin Sheanon. Word on the street is that the opposition has been bolstered over the winter so we can expect a serious assault on the Championship from a number of clubs.
Our dominance has stretched back to September 2008 which must be one of the longest, if not the longest tournament winning streak in any code in Europe. However, we danced dangerously with complacency towards the end of last year and Zurich especially started to get us in their range. We'll be caught at some stage either because we are not tuned in or we come up against a better team. You could be forced to accept the latter but not the former.
Still, our team is formidable. Crusher, Shane, Hough and Daire Cott provide a solid core whilst much will be expected of our two newcomers Darragh Cotter and Colm MacEoin.
We've been seeing more of Daire Cott this year and his presence at training is a big boost. He is by far the best hurler I have seen since I came here and the way he approaches the ball in training is a lesson for us all. He's a powerful operator and training with quality players raises all of our level.
Success in The Hague and our home tournament in Belgium will be key this year. Budapest and Zurich will be tough trips to motivate the group for. I certainly can feel the strain from the time and cost of travelling to tournaments and I think a lot of guys will be thinking hard about whether to travel or not to those two. A good start at the weekend would sway the doubters though.
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