WALKING THE LINE Ballyhaunis manager Martin McDermott.
Pic: Keith Heneghan/Phocus Basic instincts
Martin McDermott is not a typical hurling manager Mike Finnerty DID you know that Valencia’s David Villa is 33/1 to be top scorer in the Champions League? How about the fact that there is a 6’ 8”, 22 stone player lining out with Tonga at the Rugby World Cup?
And how do I know? Well, Martin McDermott told me. The Ballyhaunis hurling manager is not your stereotypical GAA bainisteoir and is as comfortable talking about where to get the best odds for the Coca Cola Championship as he is about next Saturday’s county final.
A pint of Miwadi in one hand and a piece of paper in the other, McDermott, a keen punter, talks me through a six-bet accumulator that involves guessing the fate of Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Leyton Orient to name but a few.
He also hands me a copy of an Irish Independent where an article outlines the cataclysmic change that has taken place in regard to the physical size and conditioning of rugby players. “It’s all about pace and power now,” is Martin’s assessment. “And that applies to football and hurling too. Things are changing... But you still have to have the basics right.”
We talk about Ballaghaderreen, hurling, training, Mayo football, man-management and life as a Garda over the hour that follows, seldom pausing for breath. And we also get back to the basics. “That’s what separates the great teams from everyone else,” he repeats.
McDermott tells me he played on the first team John O’Mahony trained to win a title, a Ballagh’ minor team that were East Mayo champions in 1976. He explains that the most important thing as a manager is to be decisive. Make changes, change game-plans, plan for everything. Everything.
ONE thing Martin McDermott hadn’t planned for was the fact that he would one day manage a hurling team. He was born in Castlemore, outside Ballaghaderreen, in 1958 and played football with his home club, Garryowen in London, Sean O’Heslin’s in Leitrim, Ballagh’ again and, finally, Claremorris. He retired in 1992, ending a football career that was crammed full of memories, experiences, ups and downs.
Management was an obvious step and both Claremorris, where he now lives, and Ballaghaderreen both reaped the benefits. He started out in 1989 with underage teams and developed his own style. He worked with adults and learnt his trade. All the time, learning and evolving.
A conversation three years ago with John Joe Hoban from Ballyhaunis, a man he knew from being stationed in the town as a Garda, took McDermott in a new direction.
“I had little or no history in hurling,” he admits. “John Joe was manager at the time and asked me in to train the team. I was at a loose end after finishing up with Ballagh’ so I decided to give it a shot. We won county titles in 2004 and 2005 and I took over as manager last year when we did the three-in-a-row.
“But, to be honest, it’s the backroom team we have that make the difference. From a hurling perspective it’s very strong. David McConn trained Roscommon to win the Nicky Rackard Cup this year, Pete Higgins is the godfather of the club, and from hurling country in Galway, and John Joe Hoban is one of the best around. And we have Frank Browne, our Chairman, who helps out as much as he can. They’re all serious operators who know their hurling.”
What McDermott knows is people. He has worked as a Garda for 27 years and been involved in management for 18 of them. It has taught him how people think, what makes them tick, and how to get the best out of them. Including himself.
“I usually get the best out of fellas by letting them take responsibility themselves,” he explains. “I don’t dictate to players. I look for leaders. You need about three lads that, when the chips are down, will get a point, win a ball, make a block. They’re the fellas that will drag you out of a hole. Pierce Higgins and Hughie McKermitt are prime examples of determination and steel.
“It takes a county semi-final really in the hurling to get me going, really going,” he admits. “I’ll be fired up the next day and mentally we’ll be strong. Ballina will be pushing on though after losing last year and to get into a hurling final, in the year the footballers reached one too, means they have a lot going for them.”
So too does his own team. Many of them have hurled with Mayo, seven of his starting fifteen will have benefited from the rigours of club football with Ballyhaunis, and, course, he can call on the extraordinary talent of Keith Higgins.
“I actually think Keith is a better hurler than a footballer. He has that speed that takes him away from defenders and he has also the hardness from the football. I have no doubt that he would make the Galway hurling team,” says McDermott matter-of-factly.
AS you may have gathered, Martin McDermott is a straight-talker. He has no problem in giving straight answers and his assessment of hurling in Mayo is candid.
“Club hurling has improved in the last four years in my opinion. The number of clubs and guys actually playing hurling are very small but I can see hurling coming up in the big towns because of the numbers. I can’t see a hurling tradition developing in the near future though, that’s the reality.
“The main difference between the Mayo and Galway champions is numbers. The likes of Athenry, Loughrea or Portumna could probably field three teams. Secondly, they’re born into it. Their kids are handed hurls and kids in Mayo are handed footballs. And the touch is also a big difference. They start so young that they’re very comfortable with the sliothar.”
Ballyhaunis are pretty tasty with it too, in their own right. McDermott’s team are on the verge of four-in-a-row this season and look to have eclipsed their neighbours, Tooreen, in terms of domination. But why? He has his own theories.
“We’ve had the same squad of 22-25 players for the last four years bar the odd few players retiring or coming up from minor. There are probably a couple more titles in us but we need more coming through. Thankfully, Pete Higgins, Ray Lucey and Gerry Kilbride are doing an awful lot of work at underage in the club.
“Tooreen will definitely be back. They’ve been unlucky not to win one since 2003 and they would see that as being unacceptable. Quietly, at the back of our minds, I think we were expecting to meet them in the final but, at the same time we knew Ballina had beaten them in the league too.
“I think if we perform we’ll be very hard to beat,” he adds. “We haven’t played to our capability yet this year but I think if our forwards click we’ll go well. But Ballina will be no pushover. They’ve made a lot of progress.”
We could talk all evening. The writer leaves with a list of bets to contemplate and Martin McDermott heads off to finalise plans for the county final. And the Champions League of course.
