McNaughton expects 'The Bull' O'Brien to lead charge against Scots
Shane O'Brien during an Ireland Hurling Shinty squad training session at the GAA National Games Development Centre on the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
By John Harrington
Ireland manager Terence ‘Sambo’ McNaughton is confident his team are as well prepped as possible for tomorrow’s Hurling-Shinty International Rules clash with Scotland in Inverness.
Recent training days at the GAA’s National Development Centre at Abbotstown have brought a panel that’s captained by Limerick’s Dan Morrissey nicely up to speed.
There are only three survivors from the team that beat Scotland last year, including Morrissey, but McNaughton believes fresh faces like rising Limerick star, Shane ‘The Bull’ O’Brien, will prove to be naturals at the compromise code.
“It's gone really well this year,” said McNaughton. “As good as the last couple of years we've been involved in, this team we have this year I'm very excited about.
“Some players, like, the Bull (Shane O’Brien) came in and has took to it like a duck to water. He looks really dangerous. I'm really looking forward to seeing 'The Bull' operate in this game.
“Last year, Eoin Cody set the place alight but I think we have a gallant replacement in 'The Bull'. He's an exciting guy to watch. I've always admired him and I love his style. I think he's made for this game.”
Scotland were victorious in this fixture for four years in a row from 2016 to 2019 with the last game in that series a crushing 22 point defeat for Ireland.
The Covid-19 pandemic forced a hiatus from then until 2023, by which time Ireland were fired up to win back some lost pride which they’ve done successfully with hard-fought back to back victories in 2023 and 2024.
“Oh, massively,” says McNaughton. “I think the year before, the Ireland team only managed to score four points. It was 5-11 or something to 0-4. I think we really got our arses handed to us in a polite way.
“I'm very proud of being part of the set-up with Damien Coleman, Mick (Kavanagh) and Kevin O’Brien and Joe O’Leary and all. We set out that we were going to try and restore a bit of pride in the Ireland team and I think we've managed to do that.
“I would love to maybe end our term with three-in-a-row. Going over there and winning, it would be a good scalp. Last year's game was very exciting. it went to extra time and everything and I think we were 10 points down at one stage so it's going to be a great game and I'm really looking forward to it.”
The Ireland management team with the Mowi Quaich Cup, left to right, Ireland manager Michael Kavanagh, Kevin O'Brien, Damien Coleman, Joe O'Leary and Terence McNaughton after the Shinty International match between Ireland and Scotland at Cusack Park in Ennis, Clare. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile.
McNaughton knows a three-in-a-row will be a hard-fought prospect. The Scots will be keen to win back some pride of their own on home soil in Inverness, and haven’t been shy about saying so.
“Yeah, they're really up for it,” says McNaughton. “When we were over there (for the competition launch) I was talking to the new Scottish manager and they're keen about making sure we don't do three-in-a-row.
“I think they're really up for it this time. You can read guys by what they say. I think we're really in for a fabulous year and I'm really looking forward to it.
“I'm looking forward to playing on a proper, shinty pitch. It's a bit smaller than a GAA pitch, it'll be interesting.”
The compromise code is something of a throw-back to a bygone era of hurling when the ball was played first-time and hip-to-hip contests for possession were frequent and ferociously contested. McNaughton is confident anyone who tunes in will like what they see.
“I really enjoy it,” he says. “It really separates the guys who can't take the ball in their hand, it really improves your stickwork. I know myself as a coach with kids, I'd always have part of the session where they're not allowed to take the ball in their hand, to improve their touch.
“Guys like (Eoin) Cody and ‘The Bull’ (Shane O’Brien) and these guys, real good stick work shines in this game and they really come to the fore. It's an exciting game, it really, really is. I would love to see the Irish public get more behind it. Even watching it, anyone who was there last year got their money's worth. It was really good entertainment.
“And I accept it's getting farther away from the game we know today where you're holding possession, breaking through the lines. This is moreso going back to my generation's type of hurling, ground hurling.
“You're going back to people like John Fenton and the great ground strikers of that era. They would have loved a game like this. It's a skill in the game that's unfortunately gone out, the overhead pull as well.
“But there's room for it (the shinty/hurling game), there really is. It's exciting and maybe gone farther away from the game we all love today but there's definitely still a place for it in the calendar.”
The Ireland v Scotland hurling-shinty international has a throw-in time of 2.10pm on Saturday, October 25 and will be streamed live on GAA.ie and on @BBCALBA YouTube.
