St Martin's manager Daithí Hayes. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By Cian O’Connell
For Daithí Hayes there is joy in the journey.
Managing St Martin’s is busy, but rewarding. Balancing life and sport is a constant challenge. Still, Hayes finds a way.
When a Wexford SHC title is added to the collection, it makes everything worthwhile. The nature of hurling, though, means that another match is never far away.
So, Sunday’s AIB Leinster Club SHC clash against Naas at Cedral St Conleth’s Park is next on the agenda. Significant strides have been made by Naas in recent years ensuring St Martin’s are fully aware that an awkward assignment awaits. “We were back on the field training on Friday night, we were the only team around there, on a lovely, calm evening,” Hayes reflects.
“We set out at the start of the year to get as many points as we could, to finish as high as we could in the group. Then, when we got into the knockout stages, we just took it game by game.
“Now, when you finally get over the line to win, it is a brilliant feeling, and you're representing your county which is another great feeling for the club.”
As a captain in 2008 and manager this year, Hayes has sampled glory with Martin’s. Being in charge of the whole operation is always interesting, and Hayes is thoroughly enjoying the experience. “I've three young girls at home, thankfully two of the elder ones are very much in love with sport, that makes it easier, I'm able to bring them down too,” he explains.
“It is very time consuming. I captained the team in 2008, that was a great honour. When the lads asked me three years ago to take over as manager, they had come from a relegation final that year, they were just unlucky that year. The groups were smaller coming out of Covid so there was a different structure.
“They got beaten on penalties by Gorey so ended up in that relegation final. They were unlucky that year, to be fair. When I came in, we just set a target for ourselves, to try to improve on the couple of previous years. We were lucky enough that year to get to a final, we got beaten by Ferns, who won their first title ever, that year.
“Then, we got beaten in a semi-final by Gorey last year, who went on to win the final convincingly against Oylegate. So, pressure wise, outside the club we're seen as having plenty of talent and that we've underachieved.
"There is always that pressure of trying to bring trophies back to the parish, but last Sunday week was only the fifth one we've ever won. It isn't as if we've 10 or 15 of them either.”
St Martin's won their fifth Wexford SHC title earlier this month. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Keeping Martin’s relevant is the brief. That means something. “It takes over your life, I'm not going to say anything else, it does,” Hayes replies.
“When you get so close in 2022, we had none of the O'Connor's in the final that year. We got them all back, then the expectation is that the three lads are going to come back and it is going to happen. Wexford is so, so competitive that it just doesn't happen. It takes a huge effort from everybody to get over the line.”
From his playing days, Hayes knows that very well. Demanding days must be endured, but hope is a constant companion. “Every club, the 12 clubs at the start of the year, all want one thing - that is to win a championship,” he adds.
“Wexford is unbelievably competitive, you could see that in the knockout stages and the group stages with results. Everybody was beating everybody throughout the year. It does become time consuming, but I was lucky enough to have a great management team around me.
“You're only as good as what you can work with, and this year we had a group of players, who really had the bit between their teeth. In the first week of January everyone gave a commitment that they were going to completely buy in, to see where that would take us.”
It has been quite an adventure. Martin’s reached the Wexford IFC decider, but lost. The SHC decider was loaded with importance, but Hayes sensed that the group was tightly knit. “This year, especially,” he responds instantly.
“We're intermediate in football, we got beaten in the final the week before the hurling. People might say trying to do both of them is difficult.
“We were probably, this year, I found, we were rotating three or four for all the group stages of the football. So, it kept everybody within the panel involved. If you weren't getting a game with the hurling, you were probably getting a game with the football.
“You just have to do that, to rest lads. We did the same in the hurling, we rested lads during the group stages of the hurling too. You're trying lads, you're trying different things because there is no point coming to a knockout stage, looking to bring on three or four subs, who have got no game time.
“From that perspective we gave game time to plenty of lads in the football and plenty of lads in the hurling. That definitely brought the group together, it definitely bonded the group, and it definitely united the group.”
Resilience was demonstrated at various stages in Wexford. “They were just determined this year,” Hayes says. “The work rate the lads showed in the final and semi-final, in horrific conditions against Gorey.
Daithí Waters remains a key figure for St Martin's. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
“That probably showed on the day, they just had that fighting spirit, they were fighting for each other. The players, themselves, would have had a couple of meetings throughout the year. They really, really bought into what we were trying to achieve as a management team.”
In the past quarter of a century, Martin’s have won five Wexford SHC crowns. It is a remarkable time for a proud and progressive club. “The first one was '99 and they celebrated the jubilee the day we won the final which was nice to have all of the lads there,” Hayes says.
“They had a night in the clubhouse the night before. The second one came in 2008, and then you had '17 and '19. As a club a lot of the lads playing now, we were lucky enough that we had a really good group coming through at underage level.
"All of them lads that won this year and in '19 and '17, they'd have a huge amount of county medals underage, hurling and football. We got a golden era, I suppose, and when you mix that with a bit of experience in the older lads on the team like Daithí Waters, Paddy O'Connor, those lads really drove it on.
“Obviously, you've Jack, Rory, and Joe involved in the county team, and Rory is a serious talent. Then, you've other lads on the periphery, who are just really good club hurlers. Mix all that in together, that is where it takes you, when it all comes together.”
Hayes is cognisant of the value and inspiration a dual player such as Daithí Waters supplies. Having represented Wexford at the highest level in both codes, Waters remains an influential figure and leader in the club. “Isn't culture the buzz word that everyone throws out there now when you're involved in any team, but when you've the likes of Daithí Waters involved in a dressing room, 37 years of age, I'd say over the year since January, he might have missed four sessions, three of those were because he changed holidays to go away earlier in the year with his family so he wouldn't miss any championship,” Hayes marvels.
“When he talks, you listen. All the lads have huge respect for him, as would I, and I played with Daithí. I won a county football title with Daithí in 2013, so I played alongside him, hurling and football, for years.
“He has huge experience with Wexford in that team, unlucky not to win a Leinster final over a couple of years. When you've a 37 year old putting in that effort, fighting for his place. This year he started in round four, he was injured for the first couple. Then, he took his place and just kept the jersey.”
It was an approach that served Martin’s well under Hayes. Combining craft and graft, Martin’s earned silverware. “When you've lads like that, fighting for their place, and the younger lads see that, you can't buy that experience and you can't buy that desire,” Hayes remarks.
“We had a good couple of days afterwards, I think Daithí was smiling for 48 or 72 hours, he knew how hard it was for him personally to get that title.
“He had one from '17 and '19, your first is always the sweetest, but I think this meant a lot more to him. He has young kids, he put in such an effort, and he got the reward for that.” Fortune favours the brave. Martin’s plough on defiantly under Hayes’ shrewd guidance.
