Ultan Harney in full flow for Clann na nGael in the AIB Connacht club championship.
By Kevin Egan
As we head into the heart of county final season, for most clubs and players, everything is about getting that win on the big day. Whether it’s a strong senior club hoping to launch themselves into the AIB provincial club championships, or small rural club hoping to put their names on a junior title, the colour of the dream might change but the outline stays the same.
There are some however who look at it a little differently.
This weekend the TG4 cameras will descend on Dr. Hyde Park for the final of the 2021 Roscommon senior football championship, where neighbouring sides Clann na nGael and Pádraig Pearses will square off in what’s expected to be a very tight encounter.
Both these clubs are giants of the local scene in recent years, and the sense of anticipation and excitement in the South Roscommon area in the lead up to this game is palpable – but for one key member of the Clann na nGael side, a litany of injuries led to him considering early retirement at just 26 years of age.
Ultan Harney made his debut for championship Roscommon against in 2015 and after a hugely promising underage career, not to mention he was expected to make a significant impact at senior club and county level. Two Connacht medals with Roscommon and two county titles later, not to mention Sigerson cup success with DCU, it’s not that he hasn’t had anything to show for his time on the field – but that time has been incredibly limited, due to a dreadful run of injuries.
“I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t think of packing it in a good few times” Harney said last week.
“Even a month or two ago I was ready to pack it all, but then you go out and win a semi-final or a quarter-final as we’ve done, and it makes it all worth it. But it’s tough, you train hard and then you come to a game and it’s either at you, or you miss it altogether and you’re back to square one and you’re wondering if it’s meant to be”.
Ultan Harney has had to alter his all-action style to fit into a new role as corner-forward this season.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking was in the lead up to the 2019 Connacht final where after scoring a goal in Roscommon’s one-point win over Mayo in the semi-final, he sustained a cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out for a year. Even this year, he’s carrying bruised ribs into the county final, but unusually for Harney, he’s playing a different role that might take him away from the heart of the action. Centre back, midfielder and centre forward have been the usual roles for a man who would be known for his physical, competitive style of play, but this year club manager Liam Kearns has re-invented him as a corner forward.
It has taken some adjustment.
“It is a change, it’s a different game playing with your back to goal. It’s very easy pick up handy ball around midfield, get a few handpasses here and there, whereas in the full forward line, the amount of ball you get is going to be relatively limited.
“It’s a big change mentally, you have to deal with waiting for opportunities to come, and down the years I’ve been able to force my way into games out around the middle of the pitch, if you want to get on the ball, you get on it.
Yet while he wouldn’t be known for scoring, he has thrived. An injury time goal against Strokestown and a clinching point in the closing minutes against Roscommon Gaels in the semi-final were both match winning scores, and if he gets the chance to do the same next Sunday, he’ll be happy to seize the chance.
“If I got the ball in my hands with a minute to go and we’re level, I’d bite your hand off for that chance, they’re the moments you dream of, that’s what you play for. I won’t go hiding if it comes to me. I would want it. Everybody wants to be that guy”.
Clann na nGael and Pádraig Pearses contested the 2015 senior final, when a goal from Donie Shine was crucial to Clann's win.
When supporters around Ireland tune into TG4 on Sunday afternoon for the game, which throws in at 2 p.m. at Dr. Hyde Park, there will be plenty of familiar faces on both sides. Aside from Harney, full forward Ciarán Lennon has been on fire this year, suggesting he’ll transition from Roscommon panelist to county starter in 2022, while Paddy Gavin was a key man in Roscommon’s run to this year’s Eirgrid All-Ireland U-20 final at Croke Park.
On the Pearses side, stalwarts like David Murray and the Daly brothers (Niall, Ronan, Conor and Lorcán) will be well-known to most. However two men that won’t be there are Donie And Cathal Shine, who also drew a line under injury-riddled careers at the start of this year.
“Everyone was scratching their heads at the start of the year wondering how was the season going to pan out, they’re two players you don’t replace” said Harney.
“You’ll try to get someone to fill their boots but man for man, you won’t. The two lads have dominated at club and county at different stages in their careers, but for both to go together, you’re after losing two huge leaders on the pitch and off the pitch. I would have tried to take up a bit of slack, but a lot of players have. It opened up opportunities to be a leader, and the likes of Feargal and Ciarán Lennon really stepped up, particularly off the pitch. It would have been a worry, but it has helped us, we have come on for it.
“Donie, there were a lot of times we didn’t have him due to injury, but when we had him, he was the man. We wouldn’t have win in either 2015 or 2018 without him. As players, we probably learned to play without him a bit at times, but the expectation is still there. That’s a credit to the team and a sign of the belief that the supporters have in the team, and that the team has in themselves, that they still expect to be there or thereabouts at the end of the year”.
And sure enough, they are. With Ultan Harney on board, despite all his setbacks.
