“You literally have to give your life to it”

JJ Kavanagh & Sons Co. Senior Hurling Championship Final Reaction - Conor Sheahan

Ballygunner skipper Conor Sheahan was the proudest man in Dungarvan on Sunday afternoon as he posed for photo after photo with the News & Star trophy.

“When Darragh asked me to captain the team, it was an absolute honour. You know what there’s actually fifteen, I’ll even say 22 captains out there. Every day, there’s a new leader that steps up. It’s an honour to lead this group of men; they’re all like brothers to me now. It is one of the biggest honours I’ve ever had in my life to be honest.”

BIT PART PLAYER TO UNDROPPABLE

At the beginning of the eleven in a row, Sheahan was only a bit part player. He came on as a sub in the 2014, 2015 and 2018 finals. From 2019 on, Ballygunner’s point scoring pocket rocket has been undroppable. He has made the News & Star Team of the Championship on four occasions (2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023). The man in the green helmet was named on the AIB Team of the Year in 2023.

“You just literally have to give your life to it. Some people don’t understand, they think you’re a bit mad with the lengths you go to. Whether that’s recovery swims or nutrition or whatever it is to make sure that you’re one hundred per cent right. You tick the boxes on your side to make sure that you can produce a performance on a day like today. When the final whistle blows, that’s why you do it. The feeling after it, the absolute ecstasy you experience, is just unmatched. That’s why this group continues to persist each year, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”

His family know how hard he has worked for this. Sheahan expressed his love for his mother after accepting the cup. She couldn’t make it due to illness. “My mother comes to every single one of my games. I don’t know whether she watches or not, she gets so nervous. She has Covid and I actually had to stay away from her for most of the week. I dropped food outside her door because she didn’t want me getting sick for today.” Other family members were there in person. “My Dad is the chairman. My sister is watching in Australia, probably up at the crack of dawn! My sister is there, her husband and my little niece Lucy as well.”

STOOD UP TO THE CHALLENGE

The winning captain hit out at the Ballygunner critics during his speech. “We back ourselves at the end of the day. I suppose we hadn’t really hit the heights that we wanted to hit all year. What better day to produce it than county final day. Just a few rumblings from around the county that maybe this could be the year we would be toppled. To be honest with you, we really stood up and showed what we’re made of today and that we’re here to stay.”

The number eight sensed from early in the day that the Gunners brought their A game to Fraher Field. He shot four points from play in his best display of 2024. “I think you could see it on the pitch, it was like an energy before the match. Everyone was really, really at it. In the first ten minutes of the game, we were absolutely ravenous around everything.”