Fermanagh senior hurling team coach, Daithi Hand.
By John Harrington
Wherever Daithi Hand and Peter Galvin go, success seems to follow.
With Hand as manager and his good friend Galvin as one of his selectors, they guided the Sligo hurlers to Lory Meagher Cup and Nickey Rackard Cup successes in consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.
Last year they joined Joe Qualter’s coaching ticket when he replaced Francis O’Halloran as Roscommon hurling manager early in the season, and promptly helped the Rossies to the Allianz Hurling League Division 3A title.
This year Fermanagh manager Joe Baldwin brought them in as team coaches and the Erne County have won all four matches they’ve played in the League which has brought them to Sunday’s Allianz Hurling League Division 3B Final against Warwickshire.
Hand had no intention of being involved with another county this year, but such are the ever enthusiastic Baldwin’s persuasive charms he found he couldn’t say no.
“I thought I was going to take a break for a year or two but then Joe came to us and sold us the Fermanagh project,” says Hand.
“He has a brilliant strength and conditioning guy in, Aaron Smiley, who has previous experience with Antrim U20s and Derry.
“He also had a lady called Annie Higgins who is a sports psychologist by trade and I had never worked with one before so I was interested in seeing how that would work.
“To be fair to Joe, he sold us a really good product for want of a better way of putting it and is very, very passionate about it. He's like an energiser bunny, he doesn't know when to stop. He's just constantly going at it.
“I think myself he's mad in the head but it's great to have people like that who are so passionate about sport and get stuck into it. To be fair, he always keeps telling us he didn't sell us a dummy with the Fermanagh lads and I definitely agree with that."
Fermanagh manager Joe Baldwin congratulates hat-trick hero Tom Keenan of Fermanagh after he is substituted during the 2021 Lory Meagher Cup Final match between Fermanagh and Cavan at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
What Hand enjoys most about working with the Fermanagh hurlers is their passion for the sport and their desire to better themselves.
“They're a great bunch of lads, really nice fellas,” he says. “They're like sponges.
“The lovely thing about what we've been doing the last few years is that this is our third place and you get to really see what the culture is like in different counties.
“Fermanagh is a mad mix really. Most of the lads obviously play hurling with Lisbellaw but they're all from different football clubs from all over the county which is mental when you think about it.
“There's more of a cultural link to hurling in Fermanagh than I've probably seen in a lot of the other projects we've been involved in before.
“There’s a really tight community feel to it and it's a huge part of their identity. I'm not saying it isn't for people south of the border, but I think because of where they are in terms of the jurisdiction that they're in, you can see how much more important it is to them in terms of how they define themselves.
“We probably take that a little bit for granted in the south. It's an eye-opener and it's a great thing to be able to see. It's brilliant in that regard.
“They’re very dedicated, I have to say. I think they feel like they haven't done themselves justice in the last two or three years and that they should be playing at higher level.
“To be fair to them there is talent there but they just need a wee bit of guidance and we've been lucky enough to help give them that.”
Fermanagh hurling captain, Ryan Bogue.
Fermanagh play Warwickshire in Sunday’s final, a team they defeated by 11 points in Round 3 of the Group phase. Hand is expecting things to be tougher this time around.
“They're huge men,” he says. “They're very physical, no more than Lancashire are. They're giants of men and they play a good, physical game. They've got a very strong spine down through the middle.
“They didn't do themselves justice the day they came over to play against us. I thought they were better than they showed up that day.
“They'll be far better this weekend. I know it's a cliche but we just have to be ready ourselves and ready for whatever challenge comes at us.”
The Lory Meagher Cup begins in two weeks’ time and Hand hopes a win on Sunday would provide this Fermanagh team with the perfect platform for a serious assault on championship silverware.
“Fingers crossed,” he says. “Realistically you're looking at this game as the opening round of the championship because it's so close to the Leitrim fixture in Round One. Realistically our championship starts on Sunday.
“They're looking to get back up to the Rackard and challenge for the Rackard. You look at what Tyrone have done in the last couple of years, they're the perfect example of what Fermanagh could do if the set-up is right, the lads all buy in, and you get a wee bit of luck as well. You never know what could happen.”
Sunday, March 31
Allianz Hurling League Division 3B final
Fermanagh v Warwickshire, Brewster Park, 2pm