Clare native Francie O’Halloran has guided Abbeydorney to back-to-back SHC titles. It’s no mean feat and it’s clearly taken its toll on the Ruane club man.
“We had a plan at the start of the year to get back here and see could we retain it and we did. But like everything else you have to work for it and I thought the boys to a man were outstanding”.
Ballyduff asked some serious questions of Abbeydorney in the second half yet O’Halloran’s charges stood up to the test.
Despite a handful of cheap wides in the first period O’Halloran encouraged his men to keep taking their chances.
“We knew that they were all going to be playing at some stage. We did have a plan if they started or did come on. To a man I thought our lads were outstanding. We had to play our own game and I thought we were immense in the first half.
“I thought we coughed up a goal and a couple of points. I think we had eight or nine wides at half time but we said at half time, we are not going to stop shooting. That is something we do in this team, shoot and reload and shoot again. Look I am just delighted for the boys”.
O’Halloran was pleased with Michael O’Leary’s onfield leadership aswell as the contribution of the subs introduced.
“Michael was brilliant. He doesn’t get half the frees he deserves. I thought our defence was excellent too when Ballyduff brought it back to two points on a couple of occasions. You would be thinking if they get a goal we could be in trouble but everybody stuck to their task and the subs that came on did brilliantly”.
Abbeydorney emerged in the second half like men possessed but not before O’Halloran could relay some brutal honesty to his players.
“There were home truths in there too at half-time. I just said what I had to say, and I walked away, and said I could do no more. This thing is all player-led, since the two years I’ve been here, and I’m delighted. Two years, two county finals, two county wins.”
So, that’s it, job done for O’Halloran. The journey has been one for the books but even O’Halloran can admit it hasn’t been plain sailing. Abbeydorney have paved the way for their own success with the simplest of methods: hard work.
“Last year we put in a savage four or five months, and we did the same again this year. We went through the trenches and really worked hard in February, March, April, to get ourselves right, in both years. You could throw anything at the lads, and they just want more and more. I couldn’t be prouder of them, the 37 or 38 guys that togged there today, they were excellent.”
“I think I hit every ball out there. It’s my last hurrah here, and we’ll enjoy it.
“I think Cian O’Neill summed it up nicely in his interview there on the Sunday Game last week. You come to training, and they’re the coaches. The players are the coaches. They challenge me every night, drill after drill, game after game.
“The training we’ve been doing, the schedule we’ve been doing and it’s off the charts in terms of a club set-up. To a man, they just buy into it. Recovery is the key, and I always say it.
“Move that ball as fast as you possibly can, and that has to start with the kids. We emphasise that a good bit when I do the coaching.
“I’m just delighted for the bunch. We’ll enjoy the next couple of days in Abbeydorney.
“We’ll stay around now for a couple of days. I’m a tourist for the week.”
