Can Ballygunner recapture the heights of 'best ever' display as they seek elusive title?

Ballygunner might be favourites to beat Derry side Slaughtneil but manager Darragh O’Sullivan stresses his players’ focus

Ballygunner celebrate with the trophy. Picture: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

After his Ballygunner side took Kilmallock apart in the Munster club final, Darragh O’Sullivan said it was their best display in his time as manager.

Which is not to say they can’t improve.

“There’s a lot went right for us but we have the Munster final well parked at this stage, that’s done. We did that early on.

“There were areas in that game that we’d feel we can improve on — there was a lot that went really well, obviously, but we still think we can get more out of the lads in certain areas too.

“Overall, yeah, it was a very good performance but we’re driving it on now for the semi-final.

“We go through all the what-if scenarios, and we’ve had a good start in a few of the games this year, but we went a couple of points down early on the last day as well — and two great scores, too — you’re thinking ‘what’s going on here?’

“But the lads worked hard. Pauric (Mahony) got in a good block and helped turn them over, and the goal we got early on was a result of hard work.

“It was a mistake from their point of view but when there’s a mistake made and you capitalise on it ... the likes of Dessie (Hutchinson) is buzzing around, he gets the goal and then there’s doubt. The opposition are hurling from behind rather than hurling from in front. It was a big momentum swing.”

That appetite for work around the middle of the field was a big factor in the Waterford side’s win.

“We pride ourselves on work rate, that we bring that every day,” says O’Sullivan.

“These lads pride themselves on it, they work hard and they put in the hits, and that’s a big part of the challenge on Sunday — that we match the opposition’s work-rate and then find the pockets of space, even though they can be hard to find, too.”

Hence his insistence that the players themselves who are the driving force.

“I’ve always said that, that the players are driving this, that they’re the ones setting the standards in the group — as a management we’re trying to create an environment where they can realise their potential, but they set the standards.

“Any young lad who comes into the group understands what those standards are because they lads set them — I don’t and the management team don’t, the players do that. They’ve done that over a long number of years.”

For his part, the run-in to the All-Ireland semi-final has been pretty smooth. “We’re good. Tim O’Sullivan is a big loss for us, he’s a great lad but the cruciate means the games are just two or three months too soon for him.

“He’s making good progress and he’s involved with the backroom, though he won’t be togged out, but that means we have 26 fit players.

“When we had a few injuries last year it probably strengthened us because we got game time into a few lads. It’s been great, things have gone so well, though the subs would probably prefer to have had more matches.

“But they’re all working really hard, we’re playing internal games rather than challenges now and the intensity has been there for them without going over the top.”

They’ll need it. Ballygunner might be favourites to beat Derry side Slaughtneil but O’Sullivan stresses his players’ focus. “We’ve prepared for this game the same way we’ve prepared for the last number of games.

“Slaughtneil are going to bring something different to the table, something we haven’t met before — and we’re looking forward to that.

“It’s going to be a tough one and looking at results, lazy analysis might suggest we’ll come out of this . . . a couple of times during the year they were on to us for challenge games, that’s why they are where they are.

“They’re at the top table and everyone who understands hurling understands that. It’ll be as big a challenge as we’ve met and we’re going to have to work hard to try overcome it.”