THIS TIME LAST year things could hardly have been going better for Tom Ahern. At this point of the season the Munster forward already had 11 games under his belt and was firmly in Andy Farrell’s thoughts. Ahern would carry that strong form towards the Six Nations and was rewarded with a place in the Ireland squad as a training panelist.
Then Ahern’s progress hit a bump on the road. On the eve of Ireland’s pre-Six Nations training camp in Portugal, Ahern had to spend the night in hospital following a head injury in Munster’s Champions Cup defeat to Northampton Saints.
It ruled him out of the training camp and while he got back on the pitch to play his part at the business end of the season with Munster, ankle surgery ruled him out of the URC playoffs and ended any hopes of making Ireland’s summer tour to South Africa, as a season which promised so much came to a disappointing end.
“Obviously it was very frustrating, especially with the timing,” says Ahern.
“To be honest I was very frustrated, we were coming into quarter-finals and play-offs here with Munster and to miss all of that after having a fairly good injury run, an injury-free season…but look, that’s part of the game and stuff like that happens. You just have to deal with it at the time and move past it.”
The recovery from that ankle surgery lingered into this season and Ahern didn’t get back on the pitch until round four of the URC. Since then he’s added five further appearances, and hopes 2025 brings better fortune. Across a frustrating run of results for the province, Ahern has been on the losing side in five of his six outings this season.
Having recently signed a new contract with Munster, Ahern knows a big couple of weeks could nudge him back into Ireland contention again. The 6’9″ Waterford native is a dynamic forward who continues to switch between the second row and back row, and could offer versatility in an Ireland squad. He’s currently enjoying that hybrid role and is in no rush to lock in a favoured position.
“I suppose it’s always good to be able to cover a couple of positions. There are subtle differences – in the lineout, you’re in different positions, scrums, you’re in different positions. Other than that in general play, I am usually in my spot in the wider channels. The only real differences are around our set-piece, lineout and our maul.”
The 24-year-old is also conscious that he is still something of a work in progress. Last season, Munster defence coach Denis Leamy said he wanted to see Ahern develop “the darker parts” of his game, highlighting defensive contacts and breakdown work as two areas he could target.
“Honestly, I am still improving, I am still trying to get there,” Ahern admits.
I think I just need more consistency with regards to shots in defence and clearing out rucks or locking it down in attack, so honestly, look, there is plenty of work still to do.
“It’s about your habits in training, working on them, getting extra tackles after training or just even in training putting yourself in the moments where you can practice perfectly. The more you do them in training, it will come out in the matches.”
This weekend the stakes ramp up again as Munster host Saracens at Thomond Park in the Champions Cup, before heading away to Northampton Saints next weekend.
“They’ve (Saracens) got a powerful pack with a good few internationals in there, very good players and I think it’s their power game, to be honest, their maul, when they get into the scoring zone 10 metres out they have big ball carriers.
“I’m looking forward to it, what I remember from when I was younger is that they were always niggly games.
“Saracens are a hugely competitive team and a successful team and I think when you have two teams that like to have a bite off each other there’s always going to be niggle in the game.”
Good piece Ciaran, sums us Mayo’s up to a tee.
It will be an epic, be it an epic fail or victory for the Red and Green.
Donegal all the way man
This study has clearly shown, that, based on the proportion of red to green thumbs, twice as many Mayo fans read the Journal than Donegal fans….time to blow the pr budget on the advertising in Donegal….
MAYO for SAM, donegal for catch!!!
we can do this… maigh eo abu… :-D
Evokes memories of childhood back home going to those galway matchs – great article! We’re just hoping they can do it, the hype of 1996/1997 has long since passed – Kerry’s cruelty in 04 & 06 put paid to that craze! Losing is unthinkable, but a rational person would have to pick Donegal to win I suppose. But maybe, just maybe Mayo are building quietly to a cresendo this year , and maybe Donegal peaked against Cork and the hype in that county is getting to the players (Apparently thousands turning up to training sessions!?). Surely that has to weigh on these players, no matter how much they’re drilled by Jimmy. Mayo have been in this situation before, hopefully that counts for something?
Am I clutching at straws? Once bitten, twice shy but F~ck it – MAYO FOR SAM!
Here is a bag of straws! :)
Last time GB won an open in the Tennis was 1936.
Andy Murray won the open in 2012.
On Sept 23rd 1936 the AI was contested between Mayo and Laois.
On Sept 23rd 2012 the AI will be contested between Mayo and Donegal.
A certain Henry Kenny (RIP) played that day, father of an Taoiseach.
Mayo came out as winners of the AI, their first. :)
Up mayo
who ever is victorious in this one, there wont be a cow milked for a month will the celebrations that will be had and many a person will be conceived because of Sam going north or west!!
Jimmy’s winning matches, Jimmy’s winning games. Donegal for Sam, Mayo for sandwiches.
Great piece Ciaran.
Maybe the famine ends Sunday?
Up Donegal!!!!!
Brighid, see ya outside coppers at about half 4 Sunday morning… I’ll have a mayo jersey on and a big smile…. I’ll take you for a snack box then we’ll had back to mine… sound??
I don’t think there has ever been a piece written that mentions St Jarlaths and Milltown so many times without mentioning John Scan Concannon …. could you not of stuck it in some how Murf ??
From a corkman, COME ON MAYO!!!!
Lmao fartbox, thanks but no thanks! Only one man for me-a Donegal one. There will be plenty of good looking Donegal dolls about coppers I’m sure. Go on Donegal ;)
“I’ve said in this column before I believe that no All-Ireland final in the 128-year history of the GAA has thrown up a pairing as emotive and unique as this one”
I dunno about that. In 1998 Galway & Kildare hadn’t won the All-Ireland in 102 years between them, compared to a mere 81 this time. That made it fairly emotional & unique. Imagine the emotion in Kildare after waiting 70 years & beating the three previous All-Ireland winners, including Micko’s win over Kerry.
The ’89 hurling final was certainly unique & emotional. It involved Tipp ending their All-Ireland famine against a team who had grown up hurling against the backdrop of the Troubles when, as Terence McNaughten said (I’m paraphrasing), walking to training with a hurl in your hand essentially put a target on your back. Wexford and Limerick were fairly into it in 1996 but that didn’t seem like such a big deal after the dam of emotion that burst in 1995. And what about the first all Munster final in 1997? Mutual loathing, the haves vs the have-nots, the country’s first taste of the back door – the lot!
What’s the big deal this time? Mayo have lost a few big games? Well boo-hoo, at least they got there. If they played in a tougher province then they’d have been culled before they got to the big stage in a lot of those years. A ratio of 3 All-Irelands from 51 Provincial titles tells it’s own story on that front. Losing some matches hardly compares to Tyrone’s emotional state in 2005.
Still, thanks for coming
Put us in a tough province then. We’ll happily go in. Or better still put the so called weaker counties in connacht, they wouldn’t have a hope of winning it. Leinster is full of weak teams and is a 2 team challenge-same as connacht. Ulster is a one county championship most of the time, or sometimes 2-same as connacht.
Munster with just cork and Kerry is the hardest province there is. So what’s your point?
When mayo get out of connacht they have to play teams from other provinces and quite often beat them. We beat the all Ireland champions 2 years in a row, is that because we have it easy?
Tomas, the Ulster Championship is far more competitive than it’s counterparts in Connacht and Leinster. It has very rarely been won by the same county back to back. Donegal made history when we lifted it this year, our 2nd is as many years, that win broke a record. That says it all.
I think throughout this season people have written off Donegal. They all said we’d never beat Tyrone and then we did, then they said we’d never beat Down and then we did, then they said we’d never beat Kerry and then we did, then they said we’d definitely get sent home by cork and we ran rings around them in the 2nd, albeit we dropped the ball towards the end, but we’ve no fear of being underdogs. We’ve spent the entire season proving the country wrong. We like a challenge and I’ve no doubt that Jim and the boys will prove everyone wrong again on Sunday. There’s only one place Sam’s going on Sunday and that’s to the fair hills of Donegal! Dún na nGáll abú!
Yeah except you’re not underdogs this time around! Its all different now, no critics to prove wrong, the weight of expectation on your shoulders. You’d nearly prefer Dublin to have something to aim at, but its Mayo, and we’re in your position now, underdogs, hungry to prove teh pundits wrong. Its going to be interesting thats for sure!
MAYO FOR SAM!