Dual star Ryan happy to reel in his Rebel years
Your correspondent helped former Cork dual star Christy Ryan deal with that earlier this week, reminding him of the fact that he figured on both Rebel sides which captured a league double in 1980.
“I remember it well,” says Ryan with a laugh, “I’d forgotten it was 30 years, though!
“I captained the football team. We hadn’t won the football league in years, but we had a good crowd on the day down the Pairc.
“We were up against Kerry and I remember we were underdogs, but we won – eleven points to ten. They had a late free to draw it – I think Ogie Moran took it – but it went wide and we won. It was a big game for us. Kerry were obviously going well that time, and it was important for us to get a win over them.
“I don’t know how we got the two games down the Pairc – the hurling final against Limerick was played there as well, as was the replay — but it was a big boost to us to have home advantage, particularly in the football.
“We were delighted to win, but it came back to haunt us in that Kerry went on to win a couple more All-Irelands.”
Ryan contrasts the attitude and approach of 1980 with the modern outlook.
“Beating Kerry is always an achievement, and being captain was a great honour for me, for my family, and for the club. I was only 22. We celebrated for a couple of days, I suppose, whereas if the lads win on Sunday they’ll probably take it in stride.”
The dual star isn’t sure whether he’d prefer to play in the present era, however.
“The approach that time wasn’t anything like today. We would have trained and prepared well according to the standards of the time, obviously, but there was nothing like the pressure you have on players today, which is phenomenal.
“Would I like to play in the present day? I don’t know, there’s such a commitment involved, diet, drug tests... it’s totally different to what it was 30 years ago, but you’d have to admire them as well for the effort they put into it.
“I wouldn’t swap my time with theirs. In our time you could have a pint coming back from a league game and so on. I wouldn’t say it was more enjoyable then, though, because I’m sure the lads enjoy it nowadays as well.
“We were well looked after at that time in fairness — we had no complaints that way.
“We were lucky and unlucky in that we had some good days and unlucky in that Kerry were very good, and when we had opportunities, we didn’t take them.
“But you can’t dwell on those things, that’s just the way it went.”
Ryan compares the outlook of the hurlers with their big-ball counterparts. The hurlers had players who’d won the three-in-a-row, and in any case they’d always fancy their chances going out, no matter who they were up against.
“The footballers always had Kerry to contend with, though obviously if you beat them it would give you great self-belief. We had good teams then, and I know O’Dwyer had the cliché about us being the second best team in Ireland, but if you had the back door back then it would have been interesting. You’d always like another crack at it.
“I still prefer the old format of the championship, though. I don’t think the new format has necessarily improved the standard of hurling and football, and some counties – like Kerry, ironically enough – have been able to work their way through the championship.”
Ryan will maintain his old dual commitments over the next two weekends.
“I’ll probably go to both. I think the hurlers have a great chance, though I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on what happened in Salthill last weekend in the ordinary league.
“The footballers have a good chance as well. When you get to a final you want to win it, but I don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all for them.
“They’re geared towards an All-Ireland.”
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