*Ballyea manager, Robbie Hogan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
County final fever has brought a buzz to Ballyea and it is a feeling to savour given the hardship of the past twenty months.
Robbie Hogan became the first Ballyea man to manage their senior side to Clare SHC glory in 2016, they backed this up with provincial success and an appearance in the All-Ireland club final. Following this, the self-employed tiler stepped down from the role after five years.
Four years later, Hogan returned egged on by a phone call and house call by key player, Tony Kelly. “The likes of Reggie, Sully and Alan being willing to come back was a huge help, there’s a familiarity in working with lads that you trust, it was seamless because you worked with them before and then we had the fresh voices of Jude Quinlivan and Kevin O’Grady who came in full of energy on the back of great success with St Flannan’s College plus Adrian O’Brien was a god-send on the S&C side a Kilmallock man with a great hurling brain, he was part of Sparrow’s team with Kilmallock a few years ago and Tony Considine, he kept us going during COVID with S&C”.
He acknowledged the progress made in improving the club facilities during his time away and the efforts of Kevin Sheehan who both succeeded and preceded him in the role of manager, “they brought in a few of the younger lads, there was departures due to travel and retirement so they blooded new lads and it has been great. From the team that played the Mills last year, there has been nearly seven changes in the starting fifteen from that game”.
Resilience in adapting to a high turnover of players was one of the most impressive aspects of Sheehan’s success with Ballyea in 2018 but this spirit has been an ever-present trait of the side. “They are a very honest bunch of lads. We were at the pin of our collar the last day and in a few of our games, there’s some very calm heads out there on the field, Gary Brennan will always see the positive, when one goes the rest will follow, that is leadership, it has come from being in the position before and you can’t beat experience, that is what they bring to it. There is a great determination and a never say die attitude”.
“In any game hurling will only bring you so far, it is heart, if you haven’t got it in the wrists but you have it in the belly it will bring you a long way, it is a great trait particularly this time of year because the fancy hurling can be pushed to one side and it is down to horse power, that is a great trait and good honesty as well”.
Returning to a county final has been warmly welcomed throughout the parish, Robbie observed. “Ballyea is buzzing, people are excited, we haven’t had much to cheer about for the last two years so it is a great lift particularly to the young and old”. He continued, “The gable end of the house and the hurley were a lot of fella’s friends for good spells of the lockdowns, it is an outlet, you come into the pitch to get away from all of that stuff, the gate is always open and we’re happy to be where we are”.
As a player, Robbie represented Ballyea at all levels while also won a Tony Forrestal medal with Clare in 1986 along with tasting plenty of success at Dean Ryan, Harty Cup and senior football level at St Flannan’s College. Being aware of the years in which Ballyea has made Hogan appreciate the “exceptional crop of lads here at the minute”.
Providing a further lift is the performance of the club’s sides at underage level. “Our U13s were a great team that gave us great enjoyment this year, our U17s won the Academy Final, what the seniors are doing the young lads are watching, there isn’t an evening that we’re training that there isn’t a few young lads pucking around behind the goals and watching. There is great work being done by the underage set-up and the mentors, a few every year will help the conveyor belt. We wouldn’t have huge success underage but there is a great honesty about them”.
Undoubtedly he would prefer to see Tony Kelly between the white lines as opposed to beside him but Hogan has been impressed by the addition of the 2013 Hurler of the Year on the sideline. “He is very quick to pick up on things, he is a pure hurling man, as we speak with St Flannan’s at a hurling match under lights, he will always be involved, he was heavily involved in the underage in Ballyea, it is what he lives for, when the legs give up I think he has a huge amount to give Clare hurling and Ballyea, whatever he can give it will be honest and good”.
That Ballyea are more used to county final day compared with their opponents Inagh/Kilnamona is insignificant, Hogan maintained. “That didn’t hold any value in 2016, Clonlara had all the experience and we didn’t, Inagh/Kilnamona are the form team, they’ve been very impressive with big scorelines, they showed great resilience the last day when their two main men went off injured, they still had the wherewithal to find victory, I’m really looking forward to the challenge, it is a new final in many ways but we’re fully aware of what lies ahead”.
