“We never got to the pitch of it really and they brought greater energy”
Ballygunner’s manager Darragh O'Sullivan will reflect before committing on his future.
As ‘Glory Days’ by Bruce Springsteen blazed over the speakers, Ballygunner boss Darragh O’Sullivan and his players walked forlornly towards the tunnel. He graciously accepted that they were second best all evening.
“We’re devastated. Look, we never got to the pitch of it really. From minute one, we were chasing it. They are fully deserving of their victory. I knew coming into it that we were up against a serious challenge. We’ve played them every year, bar this year, in challenge games and there’s been nothing between the teams. Last year was an outlier as regards the manner of our victory. We’re very disappointed obviously but they’re an phenomenal bunch of guys. Nothing changes here as regards what those guys have done for Ballygunner and Waterford hurling. They’re an absolute special bunch and it’s a privilege to be involved with them.”
The Gunners never led the game at any stage. “They brought a lot of energy to it that we couldn’t match. They’re a good team, they’ve a lot of pace. We knew we were going to be up against it here today. There was some lazy analysis saying that we weren’t. You don’t get handed Munster finals. We knew coming up here that we were really going to have to be on it. We came up a little bit short but that’s more to do with them than it is to us.” Did that ‘lazy analysis’ seep into the camp? “No. We’re a very experienced group. That would have been nailed fairly early to be honest with you. We knew coming up here that this was going to be a serious battle and we just came up short.” Peter Hogan came off the field in some discomfort with sixteen minutes left. “He dislocated his shoulder. His shoulder popped out and was put back in on the field but he couldn’t play on so we had to take him out of there. Peter is a huge part of what we do. In fairness to Cormac Power, he came on and made an impact straight away.”
He is confident that this bunch of Ballygunner players will bounce back. “You look at that group in there, you look at the young lads on the sideline and you look at the lads coming out of minor, we’re going to be dancing at the top table for a long time to come. We’re going to be there, we’re going to be at the top of Waterford hurling, trying to win championships. If we get out of there, we’ll be very competitive in Munster as any other team would be. I feel that in the past people have degraded the Waterford championship a bit and said that we got things soft. We don’t get things soft in Waterford hurling, absolutely not. If any of the other top teams got out of Waterford, they would be challenging for Munster titles as well.” O’Sullivan has spent six seasons with this group. A big chunk of his life. “A special bunch, an absolute special bunch. The way they carry themselves on and off the field. They’re part of my life and part of all our lives. They just give you everything. They don’t whinge, there’s no egos and they just do what’s right for the group. That’s the culture that’s there and they just row in behind that. We’re very lucky in Ballygunner, we do a lot of things right in fairness. We’ll be back.”
Will he be back on the sideline in 2025? “I certainly won’t be answering that today! Look, they’re a great bunch of lads, a phenomenal bunch of lads. Anyone that ever works with them will be privileged and honoured. They’ll row in behind you, they’ll do everything you ask and they won’t whinge. That’s very unique in the modern day. There’s a huge amount of love in that dressing room and we all love each other. I know it might be a bit strange to say that but we do. That’s the facts of it. We do a lot of things right, we do a lot of things together and we’re very lucky that way.”
