Nash enjoying the Cork U20 adventure. So are the players

ENJOYING THE JOURNEY: Cork selector Anthony Nash. Pic: Eddie O'Hare

Anthony Nash was out for a round of golf with Ronan Curran when he first got an inkling of a role with the Cork U20 hurlers.

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“I turned round to him and said I think you know something,” says Nash with a smile ahead of training for next Sunday’s All-Ireland final against Offaly.

Curran, as was his style on the pitch, wasn’t giving away anything easy between swings. A few weeks later, Ben O’Connor’s name popped up on Nash’s phone. He was assembling his team to go for the Cork 20s job.

“It honestly took me a while to go in,” says Nash. “The reason I’m in there is relationships. Ben and Ronan were two lads that looked after me and became very good friends of mine when I joined the Cork squad.

“I knew coming in with Ben and Ronan that it was going to be great fun. Every night you turn up to training, you’re turning up with friends and I think we bring that element to the players as well.

“I wasn’t going doing anything else, I was finished up with everything, and it took a phone call from two friends to change my mind.” 

For all his years between the sticks with Cork, Nash didn’t wish to come in as a goalkeeping coach. O’Connor’s Newtownshandrum teammate William Biggane takes that responsibility.

“It’s something I don’t have an interest in anymore, just having been there for so long,” says Nash.

“Ger [O’Regan] and Ben would take most of the training sessions and then I’d come in for set plays and set pieces, especially puck-outs. Then Ronan has his bits with the video analysis.” 

Not that there’s any chance of over-burdening the players with information.

“We’ve had two or three meetings this year, that’s it. We met the players at the start of the year in the Páirc to introduce ourselves and apart from that, any meeting we’ve had has been a bit of video and that’s it.

“They’re here to hurl, not to listen to us, and that’s the way Ben is.” 

He describes O’Connor’s management style as a “breath of fresh air”, adding “Ben doesn’t suffer fools”, which has created a great bond among a backroom team that also includes O’Regan (St Finbarr’s) and Terence McCarthy (Midleton).

“It’s a huge boost and bonus to get to the All-Ireland final but even if this hadn’t gone well, I would’ve said I’d an enjoyable year because he just keeps it simple,” says Nash.

He’s seen huge development and bonding in their group of players too.

“It’s gas. The first couple of training sessions walking in here, I’m looking at young fellas coming in in their school uniforms. It was an eye-opener for me as well to remember they’re still kids. But they’re a really sound bunch of lads. I can’t remember a bad word or a strong word towards any player or anything like that.

“As long as you’re here, you’ll hear laughter, joking, be it with the players or the management. That’s great because you should want to come to training.

“That’s what I learned, especially with Jimmy [Barry-Murphy]. I used love to come to training, bounce in the door, one or two quick words from him, and off you’d go. It was great and I just hope the lads will have appreciated that as well.” 

That’s extra important in the context of half the squad facing a three-day turnaround from All-Ireland final to Leaving Certificate exams.

“There’s loads of pressures on these boys. They turn up with their school gear and they go home after to do a bit of study.

“They don’t want to come in and have another slog. As much as I and the other management. We’ve all got jobs. We want to come in and not be coming into a slog.

“There’s a great relationship between the players and the management, great craic, and it’s a break from their exams and whatever troubles they have at home.” 

As for the final, they’ll be sending the team out with the confidence to play unburdened by fear.

“Go out and make as many mistakes as you want because you’re trying to do the right job,” is Nash’s message. “We’re here to develop players but we’ve found the best way to develop a player is to win something. We’re one step away from, please God, bringing an All-Ireland home but it’s a huge step.

“You see what Offaly have done and the crowds behind them. They’re starving for success up there.

“We’ve been down in games five or six points and they keep coming back. I definitely think they’ve made the Cork public proud and I’m sure we will get the numbers up to match the Offaly crowd the next day.”