Liam Sheedy: Training camps play magical part in creating champs. Antrim deserve that too

They delivered the best bounceback possible by turning over Wexford in Corrigan Park, putting themselves firmly back in the picture. Achieving this having been seven points down in the second half was even more impressive.

It was disappointing to read an article in the Irish News following the Kilkenny defeat, probing why the Antrim hurlers went on a training camp to Portugal in advance of the championship. The suggestion was the money could be better spent elsewhere, developing the game. But why should Antrim’s preparation be inferior to other county hurling teams like Limerick, Dublin, Waterford and Tipperary, who have all availed of the opportunity to spend quality time together in a professional environment in the lead-up to Championship 2024?

In the piece, there was an estimated spend mentioned of £70k to £80k sterling, which seems very high based on my experience. I’d expect the cost to be less than half that. These players are giving their heart and soul to represent their clubs on the county stage and fully deserve, in my view, a few days where they get to prepare like professionals on quality pitches and get priceless work done.

I firmly believe that quality camps play an important role in winning championships. When managing Tipp, we got so much from every aspect of that time spent together, players and backroom team. I was blessed with good backing from the county board. And Joe Tuohy in the Tipp supporters' club really got high performance and was so supportive of the importance of meaningful camps.

My first trip was Portugal in 2008, the popular Browns Sports Resort in Vilamoura on the Algarve. Like with every aspect of the job, prep is vital. We had feedback from players that the food and drink had been a bit loose on previous trips. Word is lads came back heavier than they went out. So we were out there in advance, checked the facilities, had sample meals prepared.

We headed out after the league final and the trip was great. Time for three sessions a day on a quality pitch. This was professional preparation and I’m certain it played a significant part in us winning the Munster trophy later in the summer.

We were so certain of the value, we planned to kick things on to another level the following year and started our research early. In February, myself, then county chairman Barry O’Brien and then PRO, now Munster Council chair, Ger Ryan flew to Spain for three appointments in two days.

The first camp we visited, English soccer club Wolves were there so we availed of the chance to have a cuppa with Mick McCarthy who was manager at the time. Great setup, but the facilities were quite spaced out and you had to be bused everywhere around campus. We wanted a tighter-knit setup, where the players could stroll around the place, so we moved on.

Next stop was the Campoamor resort in Alicante. Again a soccer team were in place, getting mid-season work done and we got to watch their pitch sessions. Interesting how far off the intensity of a hurling session the training was. The pitches were of the highest calibre, the food was good and there was another key advantage — a separate hotel for the team away from the main tourist hotel. We had our base for five days.

We only had soccer goals in Portugal so my great friend Anthony Kelly, who ran Keely Shipping, generously transported out hurling goals in advance of our arrival. Barry drove down the price, as only he could, and a few weeks later the Tipp flag was flying in front of the hotel.

Typically, it’s pitch in the morning, gym in the afternoon, and pitch in the evening. Sun was shining, ball hopping, not a puff of breeze, and I witnessed the greatest goal I’ve ever seen. Long puckout, up the other end Larry Corbett is racing off towards goal, back to the play. It’s dropping towards his zone, he’s still not looking but sticks out the hand behind his back. Never breaks stride. Into the paw, like a pouch. Three steps and hangs it in the top left corner. I never saw anything like it. I actually came off the pitch and said to Eamonn and Mick, it was the closest I’d come to blowing up a match and giving a round of applause.

In between the pitch sessions, we are completing one-on-ones with every player, giving them clarity on where they are at and lighting a fire inside them for the journey ahead.

I honestly would not have a minute to myself. You have to prepare extensively for each player interaction as you are hoping these few words can set the tone for a player for the coming months.

We spent a fair bit of time, too, working out the room allocations, to make sure the dynamic is right in every room. You know things are going well when you walk the corridors where the players are staying, the doors are open, and there are six or more lads in rooms together having the banter and strengthening the connection in the group.

The quality of work and the intensity of application is one thing on these camps. But the gains made in overall camaraderie and buy-in to the group is transformational.

After my nine-year gap, we were back in Spain in 2019. The fundamentals of the work and strengthening the connection were more or less the same and were instrumental in delivering our consistent levels of performance. Mind you, in the puckarounds, Tommy Dunne, with his 2001 hurley and small bas, could still match any of the young lads with his touch and striking. I now operated a modern magic wand crafted by Ronan Maher so wasn’t too bad either.

Because of the gap between league and championship then, it was possible to train incredibly well for five days and then give the players some time on their own to go to a theme park and have a bite to eat and a few drinks afterwards. We might have been strict with the food back in my first stint, but there was a time too for Festy Kerwick to give in to his Mars bar addiction! That time away from the pitch is just as important, making memories on an incredibly enjoyable journey and gathering stories more suitable for a fireside chat than a newspaper article.

So that’s why I think it’s a bit of a cheap shot to suggest Antrim shouldn’t be entitled to the gains others are making. Shouldn’t we be encouraging teams to spend appropriately to help reach the standards of preparation undertaken by the likes of Limerick? The ultimate beneficiary will be supporters, who see these players express themselves and execute their skills in the cauldrons of the Munster and Leinster championships.

I know TJ Ryan, who also has great time for training camps, expressed one reservation last week on Dalo’s Irish Examiner hurling podcast. TJ felt it takes a week or two to accrue benefits from a camp, that the travel and loading wears you out and you need a week or two to come down before the benefits kick in. He felt that might have contributed to Tipp’s flatness against Limerick first day out, because their camp had come so close to the match.

I see TJ’s point, but I don’t think it was a factor in Tipp’s case, as I know the training was light and may have been more tactical work. And there was no drinking and probably no Mars bars.

Whatever the reasons for the poor showing against Limerick, it was hugely encouraging to see the reaction from Liam Cahill’s men last week. This is what we have come to expect from his players and the character shown by everyone involved is to be complimented. You generally only see character like that when players are fully bought in. Maybe Liam got the room allocations just right in Portugal.

We saw the complete opposite from the Tribesmen down in Wexford, where they showed little character in dealing with a highly motivated Wexford team, who were on a mission of correction. Galway folded when questions were asked and Henry has a big job on to turn things around. That said, if he manages to beat Antrim and Dublin he will be in the Leinster final where you’d expect a backlash if there is anything in this group of players.

Character will be needed in Páirc Uí Chaoimh Saturday night, where Pat Ryan's team face down the barrel. The need was never greater and the level of opposition rarely higher. The five-in-a-row chasing green giant coming to Leeside to confirm their place in the All-Ireland series with a game to spare.

This requires the irrepressible Cork character we know well over the decades, but we have been questioning lately. A packed house in good weather on your home turf. If that doesn’t inspire a performance full of fire and passion, they are better off spending another summer looking in. 

I am looking forward to this one immensely but it’s a desperate pity not everyone will see it. This game not available free to air and Antrim v Dublin not screened at all? Another lost opportunity by the GAA to market one of the best products in the world.