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Hurling

hurling

Family values a real motivator for Peter Duggan

Peter Duggan pictured at the launch of the Littlewoods Ireland #StyleOfPlay campaign.

Peter Duggan pictured at the launch of the Littlewoods Ireland #StyleOfPlay campaign.

By John Harrington

Monday was a good day for Clare hurler Peter Duggan who had the cathartic experience of handing in a University thesis he’s expended a lot of time and effort on.

He’s currently wrapping up a degree in Business and Sports Management in LIT and the subject matter of his thesis was the increasing demands on inter-county hurlers and the corresponding effect that has on the average retirement age.

Duggan has discovered that the average inter-county hurler is now retiring at the age of 28 or 29 whereas in the 1990s the average was 32.

You ask him how long he intends to keep hurling for himself and the 25-year-old makes it very clear he wants to buck the trend by going on for a good few years yet.

After a 2018 season that saw him finish as the Championships top-scorer and win an All-Star, his enthusiasm is understandable.

But when you drill down into what makes him tick, it becomes clear his prime motivator isn’t picking up individual awards or the personal thrill of producing a big performance on a big day.

Like many other sportspeople, the biggest kick that Duggan gets from being good at his chosen discipline is seeing the pride it gives his parents.

His father Tony is Chairman of their club Clooney-Quin and an absolute hurling fanatic, and Duggan’s abiding memory of a stellar 2018 season is the look on Tony’s face at last year’s All-Stars award banquet.

“It's lovely, like I found it absolutely fantastic to win the All-Star last year because you'd see the smile on his face,” said Duggan yesterday at the launch of the Littlewoods Ireland #StyleOfPlay campaign.

“It's things like that that would make you want to play hurling for the rest of your life.

“He lives and breathes it. Dad works abroad, he could work anywhere, he's in the construction industry. He could be working in Russia and tonnes of different places.

“What he does is he organises his travelling around hurling. He'd make sure not to miss any of my games, be it Clooney, be it LIT, be it Clare, he'll make sure he won't miss any of the games.

“Like, in 2017 when I was (debating about) coming back into (inter-county) hurling, it's little things that always make sure you go back playing hurling. Because you know how much it means to him, he absolutely adores it.”

Clare hurler Peter Duggan pictured with his 2018 PwC All-Stars award. 

Clare hurler Peter Duggan pictured with his 2018 PwC All-Stars award. 

As much as Tony Duggan might enjoy his son’s excellence on a hurling field, he’s never been the sort of parent who pressurises his child to succeed.

There are no lengthy reviews after matches played or pointed criticisms, just a steady stream of gentle encouragement.

“No, in fairness to him now, he'd never get involved,” said Duggan. “He'd ring you up and just say, 'Well done', and then hang up. That's what he'd do. If I played good it's a 'Well done', and then hang up.

“It would be the same with Mam, I'd get a text message like that. No, he's not a nosy person so he'd never try to get involved.

“And I admire both of them too. He'd be the sort of lad who'd be at the field and would be hiding in the corner rather than being out on show when we're playing in Clooney.”

Peter is very much ‘out on show’ these days when he hurls for Clare after establishing himself as one of the best forwards in the country last year, but he’s far from an overnight success.

His potential was always obvious but for a long time it just didn’t quite click for him at inter-county level and he even debated whether he’d make the commitment again after the 2017 season.

So, how does he explain why he suddenly blossomed in 2018?

“I’d always have felt myself the same hurler, I just felt like I played with a little bit more confidence last year,” said Duggan.

“I was a little bit bolder last year and if I can keep that standard up from last year, that’s absolutely fantastic, if not, let’s hope we just win the games and that’s the main thing.”

Peter Duggan in action during Clare's 2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship victory over Tipperary at Semple Stadium.

Peter Duggan in action during Clare's 2018 Munster Senior Hurling Championship victory over Tipperary at Semple Stadium.

Duggan comes across as a bright and breezy character but he’s deadly serious about being the best hurler he can be.

His accuracy from both play and frees was one of the main reasons why Clare challenged for major honours last year, but the frees he missed in the All-Ireland semi-final replay to Galway last year are a real source of regret.

“I’d always be hard on myself,” said Duggan. “If I miss a free, I miss a free, I wouldn’t hit the next one any different, it wouldn’t bother me but I’d always be disgusted anytime I’d miss anything, if it’s open play, right in front of the goal or in the corner of the field, it’d still hurt me.

“At the same time, you have to concentrate on the next ball. The second I hit a free, if it goes over, it goes over, you still have to do the same routine and believe in your confidence.

“Last year I missed a few easy frees that I shouldn’t have and I changed my approach.

“They were all close in ones and they were blocked down so I changed my routine and I’ve changed my trajectory of those frees and hopefully that won’t happen this year, that’s all I can do about it.”

As well as he hurled in 2018, Duggan believes he still has further room for improvement.

And he’s convinced you can say the same for this Clare team as a whole because they very nearly reached an All-Ireland Final last year despite their inconsistency within matches.

“It’s easy enough to refocus, because our whole objective is to get performances and to get as far as we can,” said Duggan. “It’s still disappointing looking back on last year.

“We lost a Munster final. We lost an All-Ireland semi-final, after performing in patches. We feel like we had bits left inside the tank that we didn’t get fully out on them days.

“Our whole thing is now to try and get performances out this year. Hopefully get going and stay driving on for the whole year.”