Hurler of the Year Gearóid Hegarty rues lack of time with Liam MacCarthy Cup
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION: Gearóid Hegarty of Limerick is interviewed after receiving his PwC GAA/GPA Hurler of the Year award for 2020. Hegarty acknowledges he could be targeted by opposition teams in the season ahead after winning the accolade.
The prospect of properly celebrating an All-Ireland success is fuelling Gearóid Hegarty for the season ahead.
The 2020 PwC All-Star Hurler of the Year admits the muted jubilations after beating Waterford in December’s final, particularly the short time spent with the Liam MacCarthy Cup on the field, didn’t sit well with him.
“We didn’t even have an hour (with the cup). They didn’t even allow us to bring it off the field so we literally just had a few minutes with it on the field and that was it, it was gone. We didn’t see it again, which was disappointing, in my opinion. I think for all the hard work that we put in over the year, for God’s sake, a couple of hours with the Liam MacCarthy in the dressing room even or whatever. Yeah, that was a bit disappointing but I suppose, look, the important thing was to win the game. It’s not the most important thing in the world to have the trophy but it would have been nice.
“Yeah, it is still surreal, there was no banquet after the game, we only got a couple of days celebrating and even at that, the celebrations were a good bit scaled back from the 2018 celebrations for obvious reasons.”
Emulating the famous homecoming of 2018 by defending the title later this year is not completely within his and Limerick’s hands but he has spoken to manager John Kiely about at least living up to their part of the bargain.
“It was strange, it still is strange. It was a strange year and it was a strange year for so many different circumstances but, to be honest, I was even talking to John about this the other day, it gives me huge motivation to go out and try to be successful again in 2021.
“Hopefully, fans will be back into stadiums in some capacity and trying to get back to normal life. The celebrations in 2018 were just incredible.
Visualising the green and white throngs again, Hegarty finds motivation as he does the distinct possibility he will be a targeted man as the current Hurler of the Year. “If you’re coming up against a team with the Hurler of the Year in it, I know we’d be trying to stop their main players. That’s a huge challenge to me and it’s something that I’m relishing and I can’t wait to get going.
“It’s just important to note what got you to that position and keep doing what you’re doing because that’s what got you there in the first place. It is a big challenge for me and it’s probably something I will discuss with Caroline Currid, our sports psychologist, before the season starts. I’m sure I’ll sit down with her and chat and it’s nice to process these things.”
When hurling returns, it could be a slightly different game to the one Limerick mastered last year due to a series of rule changes proposed at Congress this Saturday. The likes of the sin bin, the disbanding of the maor foirne, a tweak to the advantage rule and punishing teams who try and distract freetakers and goalkeepers on puck-outs are all on the agenda.
Regarding the sin bin for cynical fouls, Hegarty is not sure it is necessary. “I don’t know, I don’t think there’s a need for it just yet, in my opinion.
“I know cynical fouling has started to creep into the game a small bit more over the years. Personally, I don’t know, is there a need? Maybe there is, I don’t know.”
Although it would impact his friend and Limerick selector Paul Kinnerk coming onto the field to pass on instructions, he agrees with the plans to end the role of the maor foirne.
“That’s probably one I would agree with, to be honest, because there is teams that are just crazy, they have so many different people running onto the field so maybe that would be a good rule to bring in, yeah.”
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