David Walsh, left, and Paul Brady, contest the Men’s Senior Singles Handball final.
By Paul Fitzpatrick
One of the biggest days in the handball calendar arrives this Saturday with the finals of the oneills.com All-Ireland 4-Wall Senior Singles championships down for decision at the National Handball Centre, Croke Park.
First up is a repeat of the final of the World Championships from last November as Galway’s Ciana Ní Churraoin and Limerick’s Martina McMahon go head to head.
Both are former winners of this title and while Ní Churraoin came out on top in the Worlds, there is rarely much between the pair.
"Ciana is playing well,” Broadford left-hander McMahon said.
“She had a good win against Fiona (Tully, in the semi-final) as well. I would have expected that actually to go to the tiebreaker myself. But yeah, look, I'm looking forward to it. We've traded games. I would have liked that world title, but I suppose it's probably something that motivates me.
"On that day, I don't think I performed as well as I could. I didn't seem to be able to kill a ball. But that's not taking it away from Ciana either. I suppose the next big title for me is this All-Ireland championship. And, yeah, I'm gonna put full focus into that."
McMahon is known for her power and offensive play while Ní Churraoin, a former ladies footballer with the Tribeswomen, is one of the most athletic players in the sport who can mix up her approach.
Ní Churraoin defeated her doubles partner Niamh Heffernan (who last weekend won a major event in Salt Lake City, Utah) in the quarter-final and Roscommon’s Tully in the semis and feels the sharpness returning after spending a few months sidelined over the winter.
“I mean, obviously the injury was unfortunate and I went a good three months without playing any handball but I guess this season, it worked out well for me that we had the doubles first, because I feel like, in a way, that's a bit less intense on the body,” she said.
“And it was good to get some games even up here (Croke Park) in the show court there as well. And then going to LA obviously was good because I was able to play some more singles games, which was needed. And then I've had a few weeks since I've been back, and I feel like things are going according to plan at the moment.”
Limerick handballer, Martina McMahon.
The ladies final serves off at 2pm, followed by the Men’s Senior Singles final. While handball is soaring on all metrics including membership, participation, online interaction and media views, any sport needs stars and rivalries to help sell itself and there is no shortage of that this season.
The Men’s decider is a mouth-watering clash between world champion Paul Brady, 45 years old and regarded as the sport’s greatest champion, and rising sensation David Walsh of Cork, who is 19 years the Cavanman’s junior and is appearing in his first Senior Singles final.
Walsh ascended to the number one ranking after a stellar 12 months which saw him take notable scalps in tournaments and championship fare. The hard-hitting Mallow man’s explosive style – his natural hops on the ball and dynamite left side-arm in particular – have made him a fan’s favourite to date.
But Walsh is determined to keep his feet on the ground ahead of this major test.
“I suppose just treating every point individually as such, whether the score is 14-19 or 0-0, just treat every point the same, just try to win every single point,” Walsh said of his approach.
“There’s no point thinking about the score or thinking ‘I’m losing by seven points’ or ‘I’m ahead by seven points’ - it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. Just play every point as is.”
Walsh’s spectacular spin serves are a huge weapon but, he said, it’s important to be selective when employing them.
“That’s a good question,” he mused.
“To be honest, in that second game there, the one down the middle often catches people straight away, so even if you leave that one for the last few aces, for example, and things like that. If you haven’t thrown a hook in and you’ve been reversing all game, it might have an impact.
“It’s tough enough on the body too, you don’t want to over-do it and sometimes you literally want the ball to go straight down the left,” he said. “There’s no point in over-complicating it by putting a hook or a reverse on it. It’s about just managing it I suppose and not over-thinking it.”
Galway hand baller, Ciana Ní Churraoin.
Brady, for his part, had one hand on the Gael Linn Cup last season when he won the first game in the final and led in the second but injury intervened and Robbie McCarthy took the title when Brady withdrew in the second game.
A year on, even though he has won the Worlds in the interim, that still hurts.
“Obviously, I tried to use the learnings from that. It was very disappointing at the time, the way it ended, being so close to victory. I would use that sporadically just to fuel motivation, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean a whole pile. It’s about executing shots next week. So I use it to motivate myself, but that’s it. At the end of the day, it’s a new test against David and a new challenge, and I just prepare for that on its own merits.”
Brady has amassed a bank of experience unparalleled in the sport. Over time, his outlook has adjusted but he remains hungry.
“Without revealing too much, in the early years I was so intense. It was so all-consuming for the first part of my career, the first 10 years, say. Then I started to relax a wee bit more, so I suppose my advice to my younger self would be to relax and enjoy it all and savour each day and each final.
“For a period of time, I was just on to the next one, not really stopping or drawing breath. It was just achieve the next goal, achieve the next title.
“At this stage again, I just enjoy it all. I’m lucky to be still playing and competing at the level I am at this point in time, so I just enjoy it all. I’m really looking forward to the day and the occasion. Like I say, it’s great to be still involved.
“Every time I approached a final, I always had the mindset that I might never get back to one, and I had to really focus and really capitalise on this opportunity—and that’s the way I’ll approach this again.
“So I’m looking forward to the game, and I’ll use my experience from many, many big finals, many, many big occasions. I’ll draw on that experience coming into it, and I’ll give it my best shot. I’ll enjoy the occasion as best I can, but at the end of the day, it’s all about making sure I perform and give myself the best chance of getting the result - and that’s what it’s all about.”
The matches will be streamed live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel.