CLANN Eireann’s All-Ireland winning Armagh contingent have returned to the harsh realities of the Irish winter after a week in the Miami sun – but boss Ruairi Lavery insists they will be ready and raring to go for Sunday’s Ulster semi-final showdown against Errigal Ciaran.
Player of the Year nominee Barry McCambridge, Tiernan Kelly, Conor Turbitt, Sean McCarthy and Danny Magee played a key role in the Lurgan club’s county title success, with all five also involved as Derry champions Newbridge were toppled at the death in Ulster’s last eight.
Armagh’s team holiday wasn’t even on Lavery’s radar until that point.
The Orchard panel – with the Clann Eireann crew in tow - flew out to Miami a few days later but, even with such a huge game on the horizon, they went with the blessing of Lavery and all at the club after a spectacular summer that delivered so much joy.
“To tell you the honest truth, it was never mentioned,” he said.
“I knew about it, but at the end of the day I wasn’t taking Newbridge for granted. So the first time my thoughts turned to it was immediately after Newbridge, to try and find out the details, but I certainly was never going to put them under any pressure.
“When you’re playing at that level, and you’ve won the All-Ireland, and now gone deep into the Ulster club, the demands on players at that level are serious; rest and recovery is every bit as important as training for those lads.
“Like most teams, you have to balance the workload of those lads if you want to get the best out of them on the field, and at this stage that’s what it’s all about.”
Temperatures were still in the mid-20s when Kieran McGeeney’s men left Miami on Wednesday, with the Clann Eireann contingent back at training on Thursday night – just as snow descended.
It was a reality check, no doubt, but Lavery revealed the players had still been maintaining their fitness levels Stateside.
“The boys, quite deservedly so, were there to enjoy themselves.
“But I think it’s a very balanced thing for them all - you wouldn’t expect anything else with ‘Geezer’ - so I know the Clann Eireann guys are doing stuff and posting stuff into our group to show that they’re getting work done.
“I’m not being naïve, I’m sure they’ve been enjoying themselves, but Sunday maybe would’ve been their last day of that, and in between times they’ve been doing gym sessions, running… they’re keeping themselves right.
“I know the lads, they know what’s at stake for the club too, so I have no concerns that it’ll impact us come Sunday.”
As for the challenge that awaits at Pairc Esler, Lavery feels that while both teams boast big names – Errigal can call upon the Canavan brothers, Darragh and Ruairi, and fellow Tyrone stars Peter Harte, Ben McDonnell and Joe Oguz – it is the “supporting cast” who could tip the scales.
“When you get to an Ulster semi-final, regardless of who you’re playing, there’s not too many weak links out there.
“What we have set out to do this year is to try and ensure we’re not solely reliant on ‘Turbo’ kicking 10 points or whatever… we’ve tried very hard to develop threats all over the field.
“The Newbridge game was a perfect example of that – ‘Turbo’ had a quiet enough day by his own massively high standards, but Jack Conlon, Ruairi McDonald, Conor McConville, Ryan Owens… even Shea Heffron stepped up and kicked a point.
“That was one of the pleasing things from our perspective. So while the big names get a lot of focus, the winning or losing of this game could come down to the supporting cast. Because there’s a lot of high quality players in both teams.”
