‘We don’t want to just be there, we want to win’- Abbeyleix St Lazarian's Enda Rowland
Abbeyleix shot-stopper Enda Rowland will play his second consecutive county final this Sunday having won last year’s Premier Intermediate final and now faces into a Senior final against Camross.
Rowland was immense in the game against Rathdowney-Errill in the semi-final and even chipped in with a goal from his own puck-out. The manner of the contest brought back bad memories of the 2014 semi-final but Rowland was delighted to have written the wrongs of that game.
“We were nine points up and the first thought that came into my head was 2014. We played Rathdowney-Errill in a semi-final as well and we were winning with 20 minutes to go and they ended up taking it to a replay. They won the replay and I thought to myself here we go again.It was an unbelievable feeling, I’d say it took us until Tuesday evening to realise what we had done when we went to training and we knew we had to get back down to Earth very quickly. There’s still one more game, 60 minutes of hurling, to be crowned county champions and that’s what we want. We’re happy we’re in the final but we’re not happy with just being there.”
In terms of his goal, Rowland wasn’t taking much credit for it.
“I suppose it was just a bit of luck between the wind and the conditions. I had hit one or two in the warm-up and I knew they were landing so I put it into the back of mind. Also credit to Eoghan Fennelly who made a nuisance of himself on the edge of the square.”
With this being the fourth time that the sides have played this year, Rowland knows it’ll take a big effort to get over the line this time round.
“We can take a lot from the league semi-final loss to Camross. We’ve hurled them three times this year and they’ve beaten us every time. We were up by four or points up in the semi-final at half-time and then in extra-time, we felt hard done by in a few ways but that’s part and parcel of it, Camross were the better team on the night.
“We know exactly what Camross are going to bring and likewise they’ll know what to expect from us. Camross are there on merit and so are we so we’re just hoping we can get over the line. Everyone knows what Camross are like and the great tradition that’s there.”
The Laois goalkeeper said that he always knew that the panel could achieve what they did but that it’s not just about getting to the final, it’s about lifting the Bob O'Keeffe Cup.
“There’s always been the belief in the group that we could do what we’re doing but you can never get too ahead of yourself either. The realistic goals would have been a league semi-final and a championship semi-final. We always said it was a goal to get the county final and to walk behind the brass band, it’s been a dream for many of us and now it’s reality. We don’t want to just be there, we want to win.”
Abbeyleix will be a hive of activity as they face into a double-header of county finals with the Minor team facing The Harps before the Senior final. Rowland discussed how it’ll be a great family occasion for members of the panel.
“It’s a great occasion for the town and for the club. Last year, we were playing in the curtain-raiser for the senior final and now this year, we’re in the final. It’s great for the minors as well, there’s a couple of sets of brothers there. Eli and Sam Quinn, Eli is playing in the minor final while Sam has been coming on for the seniors. You have the Byrne’s as well, Ciaran and Colin are starting for the seniors and Cormac is one of the main lads in the minor as well. Finals are there to be won and we want to bring back two cups to the town on Sunday evening.”
Everyone knows that Camross are the kingpins of Laois club hurling but Rowland knows it’s not about Camross and that Abbeyleix have to do their work on the pitch.
“It doesn’t make a difference who it is, you want to go and win. When you mention Laois club hurling outside of the county, Camross is the first club to be named, you have to respect them too. Yes, they are successful but you have to focus on yourself too. It wouldn’t be more about beating Camross, it would be more that Abbeyleix would be winning.”