Playing on a bog prepped Newcastle West for perfect Semple sod

Cian Sheehan scored three points in Sunday’s Munster Club semi-final win over Clonmel Commercials

Tue, 29 Nov, 2022 - 07:10

John Fogarty

All-Star nominee Cian Sheehan has revealed he and his Newcastle West team-mates have been training on a surface akin to “a bog”.

As a forward for his club, the Limerick defender scored three points as he glided across the Semple Stadium pitch in Sunday’s Munster Club semi-final win over Clonmel Commercials.

For the 27-year-old, it felt like a world away from where they are currently preparing. “It's a serious pitch,” he said of the Thurles sod. “You should see what we were training on back at home. It's not even our main pitch – I'd hate to even show you videos of it. It worked in our favour. The groundsman did an unbelievable job out there - I haven't played on pitches that good at the height of summer in some places.

“We knew what we were getting into and luckily everything went our way on the day and we're going to have our heads up and work away. Like we have been training in basically a bog since the county final. We rent lights and you can barely see, it's like a mud bath, and it's stuff like that that brings the group closer together and come out of dog fights like this. It really works for us.”

Saturday week’s clash with Kerins O’Rahillys will mark a second provincial final this year for Sheehan and the rest of the Newcastle West contingent on the Limerick panel.

“Sure, it means everything to get to a Munster final with your club. I was lucky enough to get to a Munster final with the county this year. It didn't go our way, we're up against another Kerry team now so we'll see how we'll fare. They're going to be huge favourites and that's fair enough. They have massive names in their team, but we'll go out and try our best and see how we get on.”

After Sunday’s final whistle, Sheehan was handed a mobile phone to speak to his mother Aileen who stayed away from the game. “She can't handle the games. She's a nervous wreck. I think she's gone to one match in the last 10 years and that was the Munster final, so I'll keep her away from this Munster final.”

Coming on the back of a fine season for both club and county, Sheehan is grateful to those around him. “I'm very fortunate to be where I am, but really it goes down to the management team I have around me in the club, with the county, all the players. I'm only lucky to be the name that is singled out for how well the team is doing.”

Being able to take time off this summer between Limerick’s run to the last 12 in the Sam Maguire Cup and Newcastle West’s county campaign suited Sheehan down to the ground. "I love the split season. It's brilliant. You should ask my girlfriend as well. I have a bit more time around the place. I think it's great. It's brilliant for the club player. It's probably a bit tougher on the county player.

“I went away for six or seven weeks in the summer, so I got my break. A few of the other lads went 11 weeks in a row playing hurling and football so I don't know how they like it, but I love it.”