Ballyhale Shamrocks and Kilkenny hurler Joey Holden pictured ahead of tomorrow's AIB GAA All-Ireland Senior Hurling Club Championship Semi-Final against Slaughtneil of Derry at Páirc Esler, Newry.
By Michael Devlin
Joey Holden believes the balance between youth and experience is one of the most exciting things about the Ballyhale Shamrocks team
On one hand, the quintet of Holden, Michael and Colin Fennelly, TJ and Richie Reid with a phenomenal 23 Celtic Cross medals between them, and many many more Leinster titles with Kilkenny.
On the other, Young Hurler of the Year Adrian Mullen and the likes of Eoin Cody, Evan Shefflin and Eoin Reid represent a hugely exciting new generation who have already taken up the knack of winning.
“I was just talking to Colin [Fennelly] the other day, it gives us great excitement to see young players coming through like that,” says Holden, speaking ahead of Ballyhale’s AIB All-Ireland Club SHC semi-final with Slaughtneil tomorrow.
“You just want to do your best. It’s very rare that some of the lads haven’t won stuff before, and I would have been the same. When I was minor we didn’t have a great team, so I wouldn’t have had much success.
“To be coming in to be a part of this team where you have a chance to taste success, you have to take that into account. A lot of these young lads have been successful at underage, this is their chance now to be part of this team.
“I suppose sometimes you were a bit harder on young lads, I often have to take a glimpse of where I was when I was 20, I wasn’t much good, I wasn’t making the team, so sometimes we’re a bit hard on these young lads and demanding too much.
“Sometimes I have to knock a bit of reality into myself and say, ‘Listen, these lads are performing at their highest at the moment and their giving everything for the club,’ and that’s all you can ask of them.”
Holden in action against Séamus Murphy of St Mullin's during the 2019 AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Final.
Ballyhale are hurling’s most decorated club, and lead the way with seven All-Ireland titles throughout their gilded history. However they are very much a small rural club, with no huge pick of players to draw from.
Before this current team, the side were led by Colin Fennelly and James ‘Cha’ Fitzpatrick to Tommy Moore Cups in 2007 and 2010.
“They would have won the Feile at Under-14, lost three [Kilkenny] minors but won four Under-21s in a row,” says Holden. “I came in on the last one.”
“It depends on the numbers. I wouldn’t have performed at a high level when I first entered, but I suppose marking the likes of Henry, Colin, TJ, Eoin Reid is notoriously difficult to mark. Marking that challenging kind of lads would have been maybe what I was missing.
“When you get a chance to mark those lads they roast you, but you learn so much. I suppose the likes of Adrien playing with Colin and TJ, they see what they’re doing, they see the good stuff they’re doing, the bad stuff they’re doing, they learn so much.
“That’s the key thing, you have to be willing to learn if you want to make it to the next level.”
Ballyhale celebrate winning the All-Ireland Club SHC title on St Patrick's Day 2019.
As defending champions, Ballyhale's status as All-Ireland champions is on the line tomorrow in Páirc Esler with the challenge of Ulster champions Slaughtneil. The Derry men have been to the semi-final stage twice in recent seasons, losing out in 2017 and 2018, and Holden is expecting a stern challenge.
“I suppose they’ve been there and won a few Ulsters, they are probably saying, ‘Listen, we’ve won a few Ulsters before, now we want the next big thing,’ so there focus is totally on that. We are under no illusions that it’ll be a serious test up in Newry.”
“They've won three of the last four Ulster titles so they've definitely commanded the respect for what they are doing up there. It was a couple of years ago, the football, hurling and camogie, they were on a savage run as well. Everyone bought into that and the phenomenal work they are doing over there.
“A small rural club, similar to ourselves and they just love it. Great community up there so we're under no illusions that they'll be looking forward to this having won a few Ulsters now, they'll be looking for the next thing.
“They've got their enjoyment out of that, they are looking to the next big thing which is getting to a club All-Ireland final and we stand in their way and they stand in ours so it's going to be hammer and tongs come the 5th of January.”
