We must take bull by the horns, says Model ace O’Hanlon
Thoughts of bursting a gut below in Wexford Park, pulling on the purple and gold shirt or counting down the days to their Leinster championship opener a million miles removed.
Since first lining out for the Wexford minor hurlers in the spring of 2008, O’Hanlon’s life has been consumed by inter-county demands. Minor football selection followed suit the subsequent year, the New Ross native graduating to both codes at U21 level before earning his senior hurling debut in 2011.
And so when the opportunity arose to study abroad in September of 2012, he didn’t need a second opinion. Bags packed, hurl and boots left behind, O’Hanlon hit for the Spanish capital.
“From my own perspective I had five or six years non-stop hurling and football between colleges, club, U21 and senior. It was great to get a break,” reflected the Wexford hurling captain.
“Looking back, it was a positive move. I recharged the batteries and I am much more positive about the whole set-up, I am not dreading going training. I am really, really excited about the championship and I do have a new found hunger.
“I am studying Commerce and Spanish at UCD and so that was my Erasmus year. I was there up until May 2013, came home for a couple of days and then left for San Francisco for the summer. I came back then in September to begin my final year and get back into the swing of things as far as hurling was concerned.”
O’Hanlon accepts each player’s tale is different, but encouraged dual operators weighed down by an overcrowded schedule to step back from the game before potential burnout leaves a permanent scar.
“I was no longer U21 when I left and wasn’t letting down as many teams. The burden after U21 is lessened. It is very difficult for a player to come out of the minor ranks and stamp his mark on an U21 or senior team. A player needs to take a step back or take a break, they might feel they might not get this opportunity again. Each case is different, but if a player is feeling burnt out at the age of 18 or 19, the wise thing is to take a step back.
“There is a huge dual element in the county and perhaps that is why it might be more prominent than in other counties. The onus does lie with management and communication must be constant between the different managements overseeing the player to make sure the player is not being overworked or over-trained.”
O’Hanlon returned to inter-county duty this spring, filling the number three shirt vacated by the injured Tomás Waters. Liam Dunne’s side were unsuccessful in their promotion bid, with Kilkenny bringing the curtain down on their league interests.
“We were disappointed because we didn’t think we were that far off them,” he said of the 4-22 to 2-16 quarter-final loss.
“The first-half went well. We were just a point down approaching the break and to give away two sloppy goals just after half-time was a real killer. That knocked us back.
“We are constantly striving to close the gap between Kilkenny, Tipperary and the rest of the top teams. I think we are getting there.
“We had a positive league and while we didn’t get promotion, we performed well against Cork and Limerick. We are not as far off as people may think. We want go out on June 1 and prove that to everybody.
“This is Liam’s third year and you can see signs of improvement. I think the Wexford public can see that and there does seem to be more positivity surrounding Wexford hurling. That does seep into the panel and there is more positivity inside the group. If we can produce the performances they expect from us we will be going in the right direction.”
Turning to Sunday’s clash with Antrim, he added: “The new format is interesting because our opponents have four championship games played. That means they’ll have their tactics and strongest team spot on. We’re very conscious of that and don’t want to be caught cold.”
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