HIS HEAD WILL be in Limerick this afternoon but his heart very much in Thurles.
Eamonn Hanrahan, former Clonmel Commercials stalwart, is coach and selector with Dromcollogher-Broadford, who take on Newcastle West in this afternoon’s Limerick SFC decider.
Some 93km from Kilmallock, Commercials are up against local rivals Moyle Rovers in the Tipperary final, a fixture that brings back some cracking memories for Hanrahan, some good, some bad.
The fixture was hot and heavy during the 1990s, when the clubs met in three county finals.
“The stand out thing about the games was the heat and intense rivalry between the players, and supporters, that often boiled over,” former Tipp star Hanrahan recalls.
“We were always fighting against the one big thorn in our side – Declan Browne.
“He was their (Rovers) main man and unfortunately while we tried to put the shackles on him, he always managed to elude us and rack up big scores.
“There were times when we thought we had a game won but he was always there to steady the ship. A lot of our time was spent trying to counteract him.
“There was huge intensity back in those days, a lot of experienced players like Philly Ryan and Cristoir McGrath on our side, John Owens, Donal Foley and Derry Foley for them, big, experienced men.
“Things have changed a lot since, there’s a younger generation there now and while the rivalry is still there, it isn’t as heated as it once was.”
Hanrahan spent three years working with Cork outfit Fermoy, who contested last year’s county intermediate football semi-final, and was considering some time out before the Dromcollogher-Broadford post appeared on the horizon.
“I was ready to take a break because coaching consumes a lot of time and effort.
“But the call came from Michael Reidy, I hummed and hawed but when a club of the stature of Dromcollogher-Broadford come knocking, it’s hard to turn it down.
“I said I’d get involved and I’m loving it. It’s something new and different, a senior club with good stature, a good mix of experienced and younger players.
“It was a new challenge for me but we’ll have it all to do on Sunday. We know how well Newcastle West are going but given the experience we have, we’ll have confidence in ourselves.”
At full-time, Hanrahan will head straight for his mobile phone to check on events in Thurles.
All going to plan, he’ll be celebrating a Dromcollogher-Broadford/Commercials double.
“I would have a strong friendship with some of the older (Commercials) lads, Fergal Condon and Danny Madigan.
“I wouldn’t have much connections with the younger generations but I do keep a regular eye on the scores and match reports.
“My mother still goes to all the games, keeps me well informed on who’s going well, not so well, and who’s doing the scoring.”
So while Eamonn’s mum will make the trip to Thurles, her son will patrol the Kilmallock touchline. And he’s happy with his lot.
“It’s my first experience of senior coaching and I’m enjoying it, relishing it.
“It’s all-consuming, dealing with a lot of different personalities, injuries and suspensions.
“The commute (from Whitechurch in Cork) isn’t too bad, 45 minutes. I thought it would be worse but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.
“A lot of my work is done in the car, lots of phone calls and things arranged.
“I get a bit of time to myself, to go through things, in my own head.
“It’s not that my wife appreciates all the time I’m spending away from home but I’ve told her that we have the county final on Sunday and we’ll see where that takes us. I’ll be home for the winter!”
