Whelahan: win is revenge for last year’s ‘humiliation’

RESPECTABILITY! That was what it was all about for Pat Joe Whelahan and the Birr players when they faced up to reigning champions Shamrocks Ballyhale in the AIB Leinster club hurling semi-final yesterday, in a game which team captain Brian Whelahan reckoned they had a ‘great chance’ of winning without having to face the combined threat of Henry Shefflin and James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick.

And so it proved, with losing manager Maurice Aylward admitting that ‘in the circumstances’ they had done well to retain their Kilkenny title.

While Brian Whelahan talked afterwards about the ‘humiliation’ of their defeat by Shamrocks in last year’s provincial decider, his father Pat Joe intimated that revenge was on his mind when he agreed to go back as manager after being out of the job for two years. “The day I walked out of Portlaoise last year, this was my aim ... to get back at Ballyhale. They beat us by 12 or 14 points and it hurt,’’ he explained.

“I was sitting in the stand and I said to myself, ‘it will never happen again!’ That was one of the main reasons when I came back – to bring Birr back up to where they belong.’’

Brian agreed with the sentiments, without being as blunt. “This was a huge game for Birr.

‘‘We wanted to atone for last year’s humiliating defeat. Last year it was a case with 20 minutes to go that the game was over and people were leaving the ground. From our point of view that was very disappointing,’’ he reflected.

“We knew we had a great chance today. Any team that’s short the best hurler in the country in Henry Shefflin and definitely the best young hurler in the country last year in Cha Fitzpatrick.....”

In Maurice Aylward’s words, his team was naturally disappointed but far from being ‘totally down and out,’ elaborating: “this had to come at some stage. We didn’t want it to come today. We felt if we got over this game we’d at least get out of Leinster and get to the All-Ireland.

“There’s only good thing that will come out of today is it will make us stronger next year.’’

While recognising that they came up against a ‘very good’ Birr side which had been ‘well prepared’ and was ‘well up for it,’ he felt they had the additional advantage of being fresher.

“They didn’t get it as tough to win the championship in Offaly as we do in Kilkenny. Their real hurling only starts when they play in the club championship really, whereas in our case we had to hurl to get out of Kilkenny and to win Kilkenny.

“We didn’t click as we normally do, but with the injuries it was bound to catch up with us at some stage. We did exceptionally well to win the Kilkenny championship and under the circumstances’. And for that I’m proud and happy!’’