Queally aiming to end ‘roller coaster’ on a high

AT the start of last year, Peter Queally was appointed as a community Garda in Youghal.

He had been stationed in the East Cork town that skirts the border with Waterford for over a decade at that stage but his new role demanded different responsibilities.

When he considered ways to involve himself in local activities, there was one glaring route. The expertise and profile that he had accrued as a Waterford senior hurler had enticed the Youghal GAA club to approach him to get involved when he first started working in the town. Playing demands forced Queally to decline the offer but last year he went knocking on their door at Magners Hill.

“It was an unusual scenario that I was the one who went looking for them,” laughs Queally.

“But it was a perfect thing to do as regards my job; the GAA is the best way to get involved in any community. It was something I wanted to do, helping out with their teams, since I started working in Youghal. It’s been hugely enjoyable.”

It has been a productive relationship. Last season Youghal made the last four of the Cork Premier IHC before losing to Tracton after a replay. Last Saturday night they overcame that semi-final hurdle to qualify for tomorrow’s decider against Courcey Rovers, with the prize of senior hurling beckoning for the winners.

Queally has also been supervising the club’s intermediate footballers, who reached the quarter-finals this year, which ensured a hectic season.

“It was manic to a certain extent going between the hurling and football but personally as a manager it probably helped me. Moving between the codes meant the lads stayed hungry and didn’t get sick of one of them. I was also better able to keep tabs on them and we’ve probably built a bigger bond. Last year we felt we started too early and peaked at the wrong time of year. Our approach to training was different this year and it has worked so far.”

The premier intermediate hurling grade in Cork has long been regarded as the most competitive in the county and the excellence of the champions has been reflected in the All-Ireland triumphs of Blarney and Ballymartle over the last three years. As an outsider Queally can properly appraise the quality of the hurling.

“Coming from the outside, I wasn’t sure what the standard would be like but it amazed me last year how good it was. I’m used to it now but this is a very high standard of hurling we’re playing at.

“It would be unfair to run down senior championship in other counties but the reality is a lot of the premier intermediate hurling clubs in Cork are definitely on par with senior clubs in other counties.”

However it is senior status that Youghal now crave after several seasons of attempting to break through. They have watched neighbours in the East Cork division plying their trade at that level and now want to be the latest Imokilly representatives in the hunt in 2012.

“It’s a big desire amongst the players and they’ve shown that in what’s been a roller coaster year,” he said.

“We lost an epic battle with Ballincollig in the first round but we’ve bounced back and defeating Tracton, our nemesis from last year, set us up for the season. It’s a massive occasion for the town, the first time in 18 years Youghal have been in a county final. You can see that in the colour and bunting around the area. But it’s going to be a difficult, we’re up against a very good Courcey’s team and they’ve the experience of playing in recent finals which we don’t have.”