Kilcormac/Killoughey manager “relieved and delighted” to get over the line

KILCORMAC/KILLOUGHEY manager Shane Hand admitted he was “relieved” to hear the final whistle and see his side get over the line after a terrific battle with Ballinamere in the Offaly senior hurling final on Sunday last.

He said that a lot of people were saying beforehand that they only had to turn up to win but he said K/K knew themselves that Ballinamere would provide a big test for them. “It's great that the pressure is off and I feel a different man than I did two hours ago,” he quipped afterwards.

He said when you stepped onto the pitch there were “absolutely horrific conditions”.

“I'm just relieved and just delighted to have got over the line. A lot of stuff was written that we would only have to turn up but we knew the quality that Ballinamere had, a very young team, a very fast team, physical as well as that. We didn't buy into that, we knew this was going to be a huge battle and the weather was going to turn it into a dogfight,” he said.

He reflected on the youthfulness of his team. “When you think about I think we'd seven 19 year olds and two 20-year-olds, and I know we had Damo and Conor Mahon, but when you think about it, the age profile of the team, they're years away from getting to their best so for them young lads to go out there today and dig in the way they did, we're absolutely delighted. If I was told coming in today we'd win by a point I'd have bitten your hand off. If I won every game by a point I would be delighted. We knew what Ballinamere were about and what they would bring to the table. We knew it was going to be tight,” the K/K manager said.

Approaching half time they were 0-8 to 0-5 ahead and he said he thought they were "comfortable enough" but Ballinamere then got in for a goal to level it. He said that was a setback but added that “we were happy at that stage playing into whatever breeze – it was going more crossfield but we were quite happy. The goal was a bit of a setback but there was no panic. But I have to praise our lads, with ten minutes to go they were a point down, to dig it out like that was sweet.

“In fairness to Ballinamere their running game and their workrate in the first 15-20 minutes of the second half caused us awful trouble. They were beating us to breaking ball, they were on to the second ball all the time, putting us under pressure, carrying the ball into breeze and they had all the momentum there are one stage. I thought the switches we made worked. I thought bringing Ter Guinan back to wing back was brilliant. He as able to nullify the high puck outs. I thought the subs worked and in fairness to the lads, two points down with 10 minutes to go, they didn't panic, kept working the ball and they picked off a few scores.”

He said it was a tough couple of weeks with Cillian Kiely ruled out and Daniel Hand injuring a quad, and they didn't think he was going to make it, but he added that their subs made a difference. “Jack Screeney made some difference. Peter Geraghty with his bit of experience came out with a couple of balls on the half back line, Ter going back wing back, what a hurler, he's just an unbelievable human being. He never says a word, you can't get any chat out of him, but he goes out onto a hurling pitch and he's a different person altogether. That 20 minutes he did at wing back was savage.”

He said it meant a lot that they had put titles back to back. “If we had lost today we would have played the last three finals and only won one, which would be a poor return. I think it is very important that we won back to back and the Senior Bs also won back to back, so it is after being a couple of very good years for the club.”

It is also a very good time for the club in general and they fielded five adult teams this year and they all reached county semi-finals. “It is great when you are winning. We have had plenty of days when we had disappointments as well, losing county finals. We've won our fair share but we've lost our fair share. As I said during the week I know which dressing room I'd rather be in and a losing dressing room is a very bad place to be.”

He paid tribute to Club Life President Kitty Flynn and said the players would pay their respects to her on their way home. “Hurling is a sport and we all take it very seriously but there's bigger problems in life,” he said.

Kilcormac/Killoughey's attentions will next turn to the Leinster Club Championship and a meeting with St Mullin's of Carlow but Shane said he wasn't really thinking of that yet. “We'll enjoy the next couple of days and get back training at the end of the week but we'd love to go on a bit of a run in Leinster. We're playing Carlow, which is going to be very tough.

"I think everyone is looking at O'Loughlin Gaels this year and thinking that they're definitely six or eight points better than they were last year. They're after coming on 30 or 40 per cent but sure look, isn't that where you want to be. Anything to shorten the winter,"Shane said.