Twin brothers hope one road leads all the way to London

THEY both support Manchester United and list Roger Federer as their sporting idol — but twin brothers Conor and David Harte also have plenty of less superficial things in common.

For a start, the 23-year-olds will both line out for Ireland’s senior hockey team at the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Germany, this weekend, with qualification for the 2012 Olympics the major carrot awaiting the top-three finishers.

Hailing from the village of Ballinspittle, a couple of miles from Kinsale, the duo will form a crucial part of Ireland’s rearguard, with goalkeeper Dave bossing a defence that includes renowned pass-master Conor in front of him, hoping to continue what has been a whirlwind summer for the Irish side.

Hockey wasn’t always the obsession for the duo, however. As children, they hurled for Courcey Rovers and were fond of the big ball too, and both cite Tyrone manager Mickey Harte — a cousin of their father Kieran — as a major inspiration, particularly his “as you think, so you shall be” pearl of wisdom.

“It is hard not to find inspiration from a relation who has achieved incredible results and success in his own sporting field,” explains Dave.

Things changed when the boys went to Bandon Grammar School in 2000. Playing in one of just five schools in Munster that offers hockey to boys, the Harte twins quickly became stars, helping BGS to a first All-Ireland Schools title in 2005 after two consecutive final losses.

Cork Harlequins were also helping nurture their considerable talents, and the boys won an Irish Senior Cup with the club in 2006 before their studies took them to Dublin. There, they won a raft of titles at Leinster, national and European level with Pembroke Wanderers, before heading to Europe — as did the majority of their international teammates — to play with SCHC in the high-pressure Dutch Hoofdklasse.

Ireland coach Paul Revington reassembled his troops in May, and three trophies have since been annexed. The Celtic Cup was retained in Wales and a first International Hockey Federation tournament crown followed with the Champions Challenge II victory in France. Eighteenth-ranked Ireland then ousted world number one Australia to top the INSEP Five Nations in Paris, thrashing world top-12 sides Korea and Argentina along the way.

Previous World Cup qualifiers and European championships have seen Ireland ape the country’s international stereotype in many other sporting disciplines; capable of producing a shock result but unable to string enough of them together to be a factor at the business end of tournaments.

Perpetuating the belief they can, as Dave puts it, “banish any myths of tournament hockey being our Achilles heel”, is the performances of the Irish players who have tried their hand in Europe’s best leagues in the past 12 months.

“It bridges the gap between Ireland and the perceived “super class” countries like Holland and Germany,” explains Dave. “Guys playing (in these leagues) can tell you first hand that Irish players are as good, if not better, than players from other countries.”

One could argue that it’s easier to believe in yourself when you’re consistently rated as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet. Harte’s current understudy, David Fitzgerald, recently mused that “if you’re going to be number two, you want to be number two to the best goalkeeper in the world. That’s where Dave is now”, but the man himself is having none of it.

“Never believe your own press!” he laughs. “It was quite a compliment to receive from a teammate and fellow competitor, one which I truly value and appreciate, but it is something I do not ever dwell upon or think about.”

Conor has played most of his school, club, interprovincial and international hockey with Dave’s imposing presence behind him, and admits that familiarity proves crucial on the pitch.

“So many times, we don’t need verbal communication — eye contact or a certain look is all it takes, when you don’t have a second to open your mouth on the pitch,” he explains.

Ireland’s twin towers will be hoping to exchange looks of joy in Germany over the coming days, beginning with Sunday’s assignment against England.