INTERVIEW: Birr boss delighted with character and attitude of his team

Birr could go joint top of the Intermediate hurling roll of honour if they capture their fifth title with a victory over Shamrocks in Sunday's final in Rath. It is 14 years since they won their last title but they will be hoping they can bridge the gap to 2007 when they line out in this year's decider on Sunday.

Team manager Johnny Kelly is well aware of the task his side faces but he is relishing the challenge and points out that anything can happen in a final. "At the end of the day it's fifteen against fifteen and all we can do is give our best," he said.

This is Johnny's first year in charge of this side and he is delighted with the response he has got from the squad. "They are a true, honest bunch of lads and it is an honour to work with them," he said.

Johnny has a long association with his local club and believes the club has a bright future. The Junior B side will also contest a county final against Carrig & Riverstown on Sunday while the seniors were unlucky to miss out on a semi-final place, despite beating county champions St Rynagh's by 13 points.

Johnny said he has "two great selectors with me, Colm Cahill and Kevin Donovan" and said the season so far has been very good. He points out that they have a lot of young players in the team with a good balance as well, with older lads 25-26 years of age.

"We won three games in the league and lost one by a point to Carrig and we won two games out of three in the group stage of the championship, lost to Shamrocks, beat Coolderry and Clareen, beat Belmont in the quarter final and we came along and beat Carrig in the semi-final last week in a great game, a fabulous game. We are in a county final now and anything can happen. It's fifteen v fifteen for 60 minutes and it's fabulous to be there," he stated.

Their one defeat in the championship was to Shamrocks but Johnny is not fazed about facing them again. "Every day is different," he said. Noting that Shamrocks were playing senior hurling only three or four years ago, he said "they are a great side and we do respect them but at the end of the day a final is a final. There were eight points in it in the wind up the last day in the group but I don't think that is a true reflection on the game itself. They got a soft goal, we missed a penalty, but I believe they are two evenly matched teams. Of course, they will be favourites going into the game on account of it being their first team and our second team but that is not going to bother us at all. We are just going to focus on our own team and do our best to perform to the best of our ability on the day."

He pointed out that they were in a somewhat similar situation in their semi-final. "Carrig were probably red hot favourites going in, they hockeyed everyone in their group, won the Division 4 League beat Clara as well in another league final. It was their first team and they have lovely balance as well, I have to say, much similar to ourselves, but we just work on our own team, get your match ups right and give it 120% on the day and anything can happen.

"But I have to say there is great character in our team, their attitude is top class. Anything you would ask them to do, they would do for you. They never stop, their will to win is unbelievable, they are a great bunch to work with and it is a pleasure to work with them."

Birr showed great resilience to come from behind on a couple of occasions in the semi-final before winning in extra time and he said that is something they have drilled into the players. "We've said to them it doesn't make a difference who gets the first goal, if they get the first goal it doesn't mean that they should drop their heads. Rath is a great field, it's a good tight field and our objective was to the get the ball into the forward line as quick as possible to keep the scoreboard ticking over, don't drop the heads, play every ball like it's the last ball."

And, he said, that bore fruit in their semi-final win. "Even with 10 minutes to go they were four points down, in fairness they didn't drop the heads and we got it back to extra time and although we were two points down in extra time, I knew we had the wind in the second half. I wasn't overly worried because I knew we had 10 minutes hurling with the wind and I think we outscored them five points to one in the second half of extra time. Overall it was a great performance and it's a great honour to train these bunch of lads."

That win did come at a cost though as Birr lost two players to injury during that game and neither of them are likely to be available for the final. The manager said that Ronan Bergin picked up a serious hand injury and is definitely out while Joe Boyd dislocated his shoulder and is likely to miss out as well. "Other than that we are OK, but it's giving the opportunity for somebody else to step up and take their place and I know there are lads there that can do that job," Johnny said.

He agreed that Birr have a good mix of youth and experience. "We have some lads in their first year in adult hurling, like Joe Ryan, who is very, very good. The likes of Campbell Boyd is 20 years of age, Sean Thompson is 20, then you go on to the likes of Eoin Hayes, who is 27, Mick Mulrooney is 30. You have a good balance through the team. Then you have a couple of ex senior hurlers, Mick Mulrooney, Tomas Bolger, Eoin Hayes, and the balance is very good.

"What I will say is that we emptied the bench in the semi-final but anyone who came off had no problem or no issue whatsoever and they were up and down the line, encouraging, enouraging and encouraging and that's what it's all about. It's not about individuals, it's about the team, it's about the group."

As mentioned this is a big week for the club with the Junior B team also in a county final and Johnny said it is very important for the club to have that kind of success. "The seniors were very unlucky, giving a performance like that to beat the county champions by 13 points, but it wasn't enough on the day unfortunately, but they'll row in behind us and we'll row in behind the Juniors beforehand in the junior final and the future is bright for Birr as far as I'm concerned. There are loads of good hurlers in Birr."

A win on Sunday would also see Birr's second team move up to Senior B for the first time next year but that is not on Johnny's mind. "It would be making history for the club but we are not looking at that. We are only looking at winning the intermediate final, that's the only thing that is our focus. The whole year we have operated on taking one hurdle at a time. We never looked any further ahead. We went into the semi-final and never looked any further than the semi-final, one hurdle at a time and that is the way we have progressed all year. It's worked the whole year for us so that is what we will continue to do."

Two years ago Birr lost an intermediate semi-final to St Rynagh's by a point but then last year ended up in the relegation play off, which they won to maintain their intermediate status. Johnny said the fact that they have got to the final now this year is a sign of the progress they have made during the year. "This year they are in a county final and that is down to the effort they have put in themselves," he said.

The manager is looking forward to the final and hopes all goes well for the players in the lead up to the game. "All we can do is mind ourselves over the next week and do the best that we can," he said.

"Shamrocks might be red hot favourites going into it but that's not going to bother me at all. Coolderry caught them in a semi-final last year and it was a huge shock but I know they have a few players back, they have the two O'Tooles, Nigel Dunne, Padraig Cantwell, so they have a good team, there's no point in saying they haven't but I won't be focusing on their team, I will be focusing on my own team, getting them prepared properly and try to perform to the best of our ability on the day," he concluded.

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