‘You don’t have to tell me how good these guys are’
IS there a centre-back in the country who doesn’t envy Brian Hogan? Not because he’s such a fine player, nor that he captains the Kilkenny team that takes the field against Tipperary in the All-Ireland SHC final tomorrow, but because of the two guys who play alongside him.
On his right, Tommy Walsh, on his left, JJ Delaney.
No insult meant to yourself, Brian, but that must surely be a thrill?
“You’re all right,” he laughed, “I’m the first one to say it — these are two of the best hurlers that ever hurled, two of the best half-backs definitely that have ever hurled. They’re phenomenal.
“You only have to ask the boys who are marking them in training. I feel so sorry for those lads!”
He’s in a privileged position in every sense but being so close to them, having that interdependence, means that he is in position also to educate us further on what makes them so special.
“Just their sheer drive to win. It’s obviously evident with Tommy, he just wears his heart on his sleeve. But JJ is the exact same, he doesn’t accept anything less. Obviously they’re exceptionally talented hurlers but that’ll only get you so far. They wouldn’t be still where they are now [unless they were so driven].
“JJ got Hurler of the Year in 2003, the fact that he’s still playing at the highest level says a lot. I hurled with them underage, I hurled with Tommy in St Kieran’s, I know him better than anyone. You don’t have to tell me how good these guys are.”
The half-back line is the main line in any hurling team, a well-accepted fact, but against this goal-hungry Tipperary attack that importance is magnified.
If this line is breached it’s red alert given that Tipperary netted 13 times in three Munster championship games. If the line is held then the odds sway towards Kilkenny with the Tipp attack frustrated, as happened against Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final.
It means huge responsibility on the man in the middle especially, to hold it all together.
“We all have responsibilities but I know what you’re saying. You go out with a plan in mind but hurling by its very nature is hard, you have to be adaptable, you have to be able to change your plan on the spot depending on what way the game is going.
“Obviously you go out with certain ideas in your head but it never pans out that way, particularly with Tipperary.
“They like to move around the field. We’ve all played with each other now for years and you tend to get to know each other’s game so well — you trust each other, which is a huge thing.”
Hogan is the eldest of the three but the least experienced at this level; JJ (29, joined the panel in 2001) and Tommy (28, joined in 02) are both still in their 20s. Brian (joined the panel in 04) recently turned 30. Not too happy about it either, the O’Loughlin Gaels giant.
“It was a bit depressing in some respects, but 30 is just an age, a year, and you’re only as old as you feel. It all depends on how you look after yourself. Look at Henry [Shefflin, 32] — he’s had some horrific injuries and when you see him togging out he’s fitter than most of the guys. He’s phenomenal.
“You’re moving on and you become aware that you’re becoming one of the more senior players, particularly when you see the U21s coming in. But I’m still 21 in my own head!”
Perhaps, but the reality is that he’s now closer to the end than to the beginning.
“You mean I’m not going to be hurling when I’m 40! That’s a fair point I suppose. Look, it comes to us all. Derek [Lyng], Gorta [clubmate Martin Comerford] and James [Ryall] all finished up last year and I’m a realist. I know it’s not going to last for ever.
“It’s funny, maybe six or seven years ago people were saying once lads reached 30 their career was over, such was the burnout and the demands. But then you get lads like Tony Browne and the likes playing on and people start to revise that even though the game has got faster and harder. It’s an individual thing.
“First and foremost, it’s about having the hunger. Do you still want it as much as you did when you came on the panel? And secondly, is your body still up to it? Those are the things that will determine it — it’s not really your age. It’s whether you still enjoy it and want it, and then injuries.”
Well, they still want it, these three, and that’s very obvious, still enjoy it too; most obvious of all, however, if Tipp mean to be champions again, they are still the men to beat.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
