IRELAND joint-manager Gregory O’Kane feels experience will tell in Saturday’s Hurling/Shinty International against Scotland at Bught Park, Inverness.
The Dunloy man has made the step up to senior management, along with Galway’s Jeffrey Lynskey, after both were in charge of the U21 squad for the past three years.
“The key to this is probably keeping an experienced core of players,” said O’Kane.
“Obviously, Neal McAuley during the week was a big loss. His girlfriend is due to give birth, so he couldn’t travel, and Maurice Shanahan picked up an ankle injury with his club. Also, Conor Woods was drafted in, but unfortunately was caught with work. We would like those three players, but we just have to go with what we have. Once Neal pulled out, we targeted Conor because they are like-for-like and two strong players with shinty experience.
“It’s not hurling, it’s not shinty – it’s unique. It is the pace and physicality of the game that sometimes hurlers get caught up in. It’s just a pity those boys can’t travel.”
One man who will line out on Saturday and makes a return to the squad for the first time since 2013 is Down’s Gareth Johnson. O’Kane says the Ballygalget man will be a huge asset.
“Last year, he was out injured with a cruciate knee ligament injury and he was gone for the year and to get him for this weekend is great. For a player of his size and stature, he has a huge physicality about him. You can get the ball into him and what he brings to it is immense. He’s a great stick-man and a brilliant player at this level.”
O’Kane says it’s not going to be easy against a Scottish team hurting from a string of defeats in recent years.
“The Scots are very hard to beat in Scotland. Last year, their U21 team was very strong. We found, as the U21 management in the last couple of years, there’s only been a puck of a ball in it. You would feel this year that the Scots have really targeted this home game and that, on Saturday, it will definitely be game on.”
O’Kane says it’s a privilege to be involved in the senior management, having make the step up from the U21 grade.
“It’s massive. Both Jeff and I were involved with the U21 panel for the past three years and then we got the call at the start of the year to succeed Michael Walsh as the senior management,” he said.
“It is a brilliant honour for myself as a player and then a coach and then stepping up to the next level to manage players from all over Ireland at this level. It’s a brilliant achievement."
O’Kane isn’t surprised that Lynskey went on to manage his county to All-Ireland minor success in Croke Park last month.
“Jeff is a very young man and he is a driven man. He just lives and breeds hurling," he added.
"For him to manage Galway this year to the minor All-Ireland, when people would have said it wasn’t the strongest of Galway teams, was absolutely massive.”
For the first time since the introduction of the two-game series, Saturday’s game will be a standalone encounter, despite a second game taking place in Croke Park on November 21, which means it’s winner takes all in Inverness.
“Today’s game is going to be like a cup final,” O’Kane said.
“That means there’s no doubt that the Scots will be keen to win on their home ground. It will be game on at 2pm.”
