*Niall Deasy is one of the key danger men in the Ballyea forward line. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
As the man to guide Ballyea to their first ever senior titles at county and provincial level, Robbie Hogan is back in the hotseat and is determined to see the fancied outfit have a big say in this year’s championship.
Management: Robbie Hogan (manager) Kevin O’Grady (coach), Raymond O’Connor (selector), Diarmuid O’Sullivan (selector), Alan Duggan (goalkeeping coach/selector), Jude Quinlivan (stats/selector) Adrian O’Brien (S&C)
Captain: Jack Browne
Key Player: Tony Kelly
One To Watch: Mossy Gavin
Fresh Blood: Cathal O’Connor, Stan Lineen (2016 captain)
Departures Gate: Brian Carigg,
SHC titles won: 2
Most Recent SHC title: 2018
Group Fixtures:
Round 1 v Broadford (August 15th)
Round 2 v Crusheen (September 4th/5th)
Round 3 v Cratloe (September 18th/19th)
Hogan led the club to their first Clare senior crown in 2016 and returned as the successor to Kevin Sheehan at the beginning of this season. He was originally manager from 2012 until March 2017, bowing out when they lost the All-Ireland club final to Cuala in Croke Park.
“There is no easy group in the Clare senior hurling championship. Broadford are our first opponents. They are fielding four adult teams this season and for a small community this shows that there has been huge work done at underage level. They have an experienced backroom team which includes Jimmy Browne, Aonghus O’Brien who is currently part of the Limerick senior backroom team and Kieran Corcoran. They have no dual player issues which means that they have togetherness all the time,” he outlined.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, he added, “It’s all about the first game and the key is to hit the ground the first day. A win is vital”.
Approaches from the players led to Hogan’s return. “It’s all around me here. They are a great group who have a love of the club and a love of the game. They won’t be around for ever”.
Selectors Raymond O’Connor and Diarmuid O’Sullivan have been part of Hogan’s backroom team from the outset. Most of the squad which made the senior breakthrough in 2016 are still part of the panel. This year they are coached by Kevin O’Grady from Beagh, a member of the teaching staff at St. Flannans College.
Among his fellow teachers at the famed Ennis nursery are Jack Browne who will captain Ballyea this year, and Tony Kelly who led the club to the 2018 title. They are further boosted by the return of 2016 captain Stan Lineen after a three year stint in Australia.
The manager agrees that managing a team which has assistance from players from six different football clubs can prove difficult. “We have a good relationship with the clubs involved. A lot rests with the players, they know what their bodies are capable of doing. They have to find the balance. We trust the lads that they can make the right judgement. The players are highly committed and they are key players within their own clubs,” he said.
Hogan believes that “getting five league games this year was a great help. That’s where preparation for the championship begins. Covid presented a very difficult and different challenge considering where we were. It was a different challenge altogether. We were looking at screens for much of the year but it was the same for every club”.
As the players finalise preparations for the opening round there are concerns about the fitness of Niall Deasy and Matthew Reidy while Pearse Lillis is troubled by a hand injury. “The players know this game is a 50/50 game and we will have to be at our best to compete with Broadford,” the manager concluded.
