Winning feeling all over again for Ryan

SEVEN years ago Liam Ryan was in Croke Park to witness his native Newtownshandrum enjoy their greatest day by lifting the Tommy Moore Cup and claim All-Ireland club SHC honours.

On Sunday he was immersed in another momentous Croke Park occasion by guiding Meelin to the All-Ireland JHC club title.

Ask him to rate the victories and he’s torn but it’s clear that his Newtownshandrum experiences informed him when it came to preparing Meelin on this occasion.

“It’s an awkward question. I was a water boy that year when Newtown won an All-Ireland and it was massive. But I was also a selector when they were beaten by Portumna in 2006 and I know what that felt like as well.

“The empty feeling leaving Croke Park is just unbelievably bad. That’s something we definitely talked about before Sunday with Meelin.

“We were being patted on the back for the last couple of weeks and people saying, ‘ye’re in Croke Park and if ye don’t win it, what about it’.

“But that’s not the way at all. If you’re in Croke Park, you have to go and win it. We’d some good chats about that during the week. Any player that had questions, it was nice that I was in a position of being here before and now being able to answer them.”

Ryan pinpoints the county final success last October against Cloughduv as the moment that awakened the Meelin players to the potential they were capable of unleashing.

“The lads knew last year when they played Cloughduv that they weren’t far off it.

“Meeting them again this year we knew we’d a great chance and the second-half of that county junior final was the turning point of these guys careers.

“The way they performed that day in the second-half, they knew from then on that if they started performing as a team that there was nobody going to stop them.”

Ryan was fulsome in his praise of everyone involved in the club since he took over twelve months ago, from the players on the pitch to the supporters in the stands.

“They’re the most genuine people you could ever meet. I remember coming back from the county final and all the boys fired their bags and hurleys into the corner of a room.

“I know that if you did that anywhere else, by the following day they’d be gone, but the boys left them there for the night. They were still there the following morning when they collected them.

“They’re the most honest, down to earth, sound as a pound crowd. You couldn’t meet a better bunch. I know everyone wants to play in Croke Park but there’s something special about seeing small villages doing it.

“We pulled out of the hotel on Sunday morning and there were nine buses coming in from Meelin. That was magic to see.

“The effort everyone has put in has been fantastic. There’s been great support there and all year it’s been great craic to be involved. I’m delighted and thrilled for them all.”