Upperchurch Captain Keith Ryan is living the dream

By Shane Brophy

Preparing to hurl on the second weekend in January isn’t the most enticing way to start the year but when it is an All-Ireland Final at Croke Park, the bitter cold of last weekend is worth it.

That, as well as having a different Christmas and New Year period than usual, which the detractors of the latter stages of the All-Ireland Club Championships carrying over the festive period point to, but that was no issue for Upperchurch/Drombane according to captain Keith Ryan.

“You don’t mind sacrificing, here and there, when you know what is coming down the track,” said the 24-year-old primary school teacher based in Templemore.

“I wouldn’t be too concerned about the dinner anyway; the Christmas dinner was still the same regardless.”

This Saturday, Upperchurch/Drombane will become just the fourth Tipperary club to play in a men’s All-Ireland Club Final in Croke Park following on from Kilruane MacDonaghs (Senior 1986), Borris-Ileigh (Senior 1987 & 2020), and Moyle Rovers (Junior 2008).

The supporters have been enjoying the build-up over the festive period as they make their plans to head to Dublin 3 but the players have remained focused on the job in hand against Tooreen.

“It has been great,” Ryan said of the build-up.

“Obviously going down to the field for training is where you want to be after winning the semi-final.

“We enjoyed the few days after the win but quickly you turn the focus to the next task coming down the line and be tuned in for that. We are really enjoying training and looking forward to the weekend.”

He added: “It’s been a great run, and one, to be honest, you don’t want to end and I know it is going to end one way or another on Saturday. It has been incredible, game after game you are on a high.

“It’s great to have something to look forward to every two or three weeks, and you look forward to going to the field with your best friends, brothers and cousins for the whole winter has been great.”

Things didn’t go swimmingly for Upperchurch/Drombane in the early part of the campaign, only seconds away from a group stage exit in the county championship but since then they have never looked back, even setbacks of losing key players Paddy Phelan and Paudie Greene to injury in the All-Ireland semi-final against Danesfort were overcome.

“Obviously it is tough being down the two boys, they are serious players,” Ryan continued.

“That is Upperchurch as a whole, never mind the hurling everyone is close to each other and row in behind each other.

“If somebody goes down, the next man has to step in and everyone else has to step up a little bit more and thankfully we did it the last day and hopefully will do the same again next weekend.”

A former underage player in hurling and a senior footballer with Tipperary, Ryan’s leadership is why he was given the captains armband at such a young age, and come the conclusion on Saturday, he might see calls from both Liam Cahill and Niall Fitzgerald on his phone.

For the moment, it is about performing with Upperchurch/Drombane, part of a stingy defence, but the skipper was quick to credit the forwards for making their job easier.

“We aren’t doing too bad,” he said of their defensive prowess.

“A lot of credit goes to out front eight as their work-rate is immense. We’d often look back on clips from games and the work they do which goes unseen helps us out some amount. They put the pressure on clearances and save us a second or so as a back man which is appreciated, with them working so hard up the field it makes our job a little bit easier.”

Keith Ryan, a Ryan Dooree in the parish of Upperchurch/Drombane, has lifted the Seamus O Riain and Hoare Cups for his club in the past three months for his club as he chases the hat-trick by becoming the first Tipperary man since Dan Hackett for Kiladangan in 2005 to lift the All-Ireland Club Intermediate Hurling title in the steps of the Hogan Stand at Croke Park

“It’s obviously nice, I’m very grateful to be in this position,” Ryan said.

“Obviously, I am looking forward to it. Where else would you rather be on the second weekend in January, playing with your club at Croke Park, it is dream stuff really.”