“I’ve never seen anything like it in 30 years”
Ballygunner's Conor Sheahan with Mikey and Lucy after the game against Sarsfield.
When the rest of us are stuck to the couch up to our necks in Quality Street on Christmas Day, Ballygunner will hope they’re in a position where they cannot entertain that thought themselves.
St. Martin’s of Wexford stand in the way of the Gunners and a place in the AIB All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final in January. This hurdle has often befallen the Gunners, but they won’t have grand pictures in mind until they have earned the right to - according to Chairman, Dave Sheahan.
“We have to take it match by match year by year”, said Sheahan. “You have to respect the hurdles put in front of you and if you don’t respect that hurdle - at whatever level, you’re never going to be able to perform well enough to deliver.
“We’re humble people in every way”, he told WLR. “We’re humble in defeat as well as in victory. We can have no complaints about Sarsfields beating us last year. We can have no complaints about St. Thomas’ beating us the year before. Ballyhale beat us a couple of years ago too. Once you leave your county, you’re now playing the best teams across all of Ireland and that can be difficult. You get used to playing teams in your county but you don’t know what others might throw up. Ballygunner has been in eight Munster finals in a row, and maybe the next step is to try and add another All-Ireland or two to that. From the commitment and dedication of this group, it’s nothing less than they deserve.”
Heroes come in no shortage. A case could be made for any man that has donned the red and black stripes to be described as such this season - but plaudits will naturally come the way of Dessie Hutchinson whose tally is 9-70 and standing for the 2025 club campaign. Sheahan says his ceiling is so much higher than most.
“It’s hard to put into perspective, I’ve been around Dessie for the last few years now since he came back from Brighton - and he’s been a revelation. The way he trains, the way he prepares, he’s not afraid to have an opinion - behind it all, he’s one fantastic hurler. He’s been sublime. It’s what fairytales are made of.” What is it that makes the Gunners so unique? Five Munster crowns in six years. 12 in a row in Waterford, yet the hunger doesn’t ever dissipate. The spirit is a key component.
“The camaraderie and spirit within the team is unbelievable. I’ve been around teams for 30 years and never seen anything like it. They’re like brothers in arms. They just get on with the job and they’re passionate about hurling, passionate about Waterford - they want to represent their community, their families as best as they can.”
Sheahan’s son Conor has been a key cog in the wheel, driving the team on from midfield for many years. He adopts similar sentiments to his father - be complacent, you’ll pay the price. No talk of anything until it’s in your hands, then the success will do the talking.
“If you stand still, you’ll be caught. I don’t think there was any lack of effort last year, but we probably didn’t evolve as much as we should have. Jason has brought something different. He’s introduced massive energy to the group. The likes of Aaron O’Neill and Harry Ruddle becoming starters, the induction of youth - things like that have just really helped to drive us on again.”
Time will tell whether that renewed enthusiasm and hunger will yield another All-Ireland final appearance. Should they replicate some of what we’ve seen in 2025, it’s hard to land on any other eventuality.
