Bernie wary of northern threat

THE machines were silent in the O’Connor Hurley Manufacturing Plant in Newtownshandrum yesterday morning, after the club’s exciting Munster club hurling win in Thurles on Sunday, the saws, planers, sanding machines lying idle, but the planning goes on.

Team celebrations had shifted for the day from the village to the local town, Charleville, an invite to breakfast at Gough’s renowned hostelry gratefully taken up by the players, en masse; back at base, however, team manager Bernie O’Connor was already looking ahead to the next obstacle in the challenge for All-Ireland honours. Clearly, it’s a prospect that has him worried. The whole hurling world seems to have assumed that beating Ballygalget, the Down and Ulster champions, will only be a matter of form; absolutely not, says Bernie.

“Being honest, we’d have to fancy ourselves to win that game, if we get ourselves absolutely right, but the boys (his sons, Ben and Jerry) told me, when Cork played Down in the League, it took them three-quarters of the game to get on top, that Down were a good hurling side. Well, 11 of the Ballygalget team have played for Down. You CAN’T underestimate them, they’re a right good club side. Wouldn’t we feel right stupid if we went up there and lost, simply because we hadn’t taken them seriously? Now we might still be beaten, and if they’re good enough to do that, well, fair dues to them. But to lose because you haven’t shown a team the respect they deserve, that would be disastrous.”

Understand, Bernie O’Connor doesn’t do waffle; what he says about Ballygalget stands up to scrutiny. The Christy Ring Cup final this year was a match of the highest quality; in the starting 15 for the Down team beaten by two late points by Westmeath were seven Ballygalget players. Of the 2-18 scored by Down, the all-Ballygalget full-forward line of Martin Coulter/Gareth Johnson/Stephen Clarke contributed 2-11 between them. As Bernie says, Newtownshandrum take them lightly at their peril, and this is a fact that should not be lost on their supporters. “In the last few years,” he continues, further reinforcing his point, “Portumna lost to Dunloy, Mount Sion lost to Dunloy, and they were two very good sides. Dunloy were well beaten in Antrim this year, but Ballygalget beat Cushendall (Antrim champions) in the Ulster final, beat them well too, four points. It’s critical for us that we’re right, going into that match.”

With that in mind, there will be a relaxation in intensity up to Christmas, but no break in training, for players or manager. “Once a week from here to Christmas, come back full belt the first weekend after January 6th. We’ll have to, for that game. We’ll have four fellas away on holidays with Cork (Ben, Jerry, Pat Mulcahy, Paul Morrissey), and hopefully they’ll get some benefit from that, the break should do them good. Mind you, the last time Ben went away with Cork he came back over a stone overweight!” What, Ben O’Connor overweight? Impossible! “Oh he was, a little fat arse on him, a little pot belly. Surprising, alright, most of his clothes wouldn’t fit him, but he got rid of it almost immediately.”

Meanwhile, celebrations will continue, for another few days at least, and why not, says a very understanding manager. “I’ve never seen such celebrations from them before, up in the seats in Herlihy’s (the only pub in Newtown) last night, lepping and roaring. Even fellas like Pat Mulcahy, the sweetest ever, he said to me. But I can understand it, it’s a Munster title, and whether it’s your first or your tenth, it’s something that should be celebrated, something always worth achieving.

“That should always be the approach to it. The way we won it also made it special; win by five or six points, the excitement is gone out of it long before the end, but one point, that’s a fantastic win, always, a terrible defeat. I saw several lads from Ballygunner afterwards, the young lads, tears streaming down their cheeks; those tears could just as easily have been ours, a point either way, one puck of a ball, it was that close.”

Mind you, I would maintain now, we won that game yesterday with up to ten fellas not performing to their best; a lot of our problems were self-inflicted, mistakes being made we wouldn’t normally make, little mistakes but they cost us dear, scores missed, soft scores given away. But you have to feel sorry for them, one point, it is a heartbreaker of a defeat, you’ll always be thinking back to the things that cost you, the areas you could have won it, whereas if it’s five or six points, there’s no discussion.”

“Our fellas were out on their feet after that game, physically drained. One thing they are, all the time, they’re very fit, could sprint a mile, but yesterday took a lot out of them.

“It’s because of the game they play; no, not the renowned possession game, the game, even more important, when they are not in possession. Swarm defence, of the kind that led to the controversy at the finish, when the Gunner’s Paul Flynn was surrounded in possession 30 metres from the Newtown goal (went to ground, and wasn’t awarded a free).

“Yeah, they have this, I don’t know what you’d call it, a determination not to be beaten, a fierce desire to win. Now they will be beaten some day, we know that, and it could be the next day out. But, you’d be hoping anyway that it won’t be because they weren’t ready.”