Peter Duggan of Clare competing in the Senior Hurling event during the 2023 M. Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals at Annaverna Mountain in the Cooley Peninsula, Ravensdale, Louth. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
By Paul Keane
A maiden journey to the M Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada final brought back fond memories of home and growing up for Peter Duggan.
The Clare hurler accepted a sponsor's invite to compete in the 12-player field on the Cooley Mountains course and came home in a creditable third position.
His 49 pucks around the windswept and challenging circuit may have been good enough to win in a different year but he was edged out this time by Kerry's Fionan Mackessy, the winner, and former champion Colin Ryan.
Not that the 2018 All-Star forward was overly put out as he enjoyed the experience immensely and reflected on growing up in Clare and taking part in his own makeshift All-Ireland Poc Fada competition.
"We have a field at home in Spancilhill where I'm from," said Duggan. "There was a telephone pole at the bottom and two more up at the top so we'd start pucking balls from the bottom telephone pole and you'd hit the whole way up to the top, hit it through the two poles and then back down and off the pole. So that would have been our equivalent. All the brothers and the cousins used to do it, it used to be great craic."
Even with that useful background, it was still an eye opener for Duggan to come face to face with the punishing Cooley Mountains, particularly on a day when the wind blew hard and the footing was wet and sticky after weeks of rain.
Peter Duggan of Clare during the 2023 M. Donnelly GAA All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals at Annaverna Mountain in the Cooley Peninsula, Ravensdale, Louth. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile.
Duggan wasn't too proud to lean on his fellow competitors for advice around positioning and strategy though found that it mostly came down to a simple fundamental in the end.
"It's all about consistency, consistency of strike," he said. "If you can hit a good solid strike each time, you're in with a great chance. I think I had two mis-hits and they cost me in the end. But it was a very enjoyable experience, 100%. I think 48 might have been a record beforehand so I had 49. I'll take that. If I get invited again, I'll try to go again. Now I have a target to beat. Fingers crossed I'll get invited and I'll go at it again."
Duggan was part of a Clare team that lit up this year's hurling Championship at times though the summer ultimately ended in disappointment for the Clooney clubman and his Banner colleagues. Despite beating eventual All-Ireland winners Limerick in the group stage of the Munster championship, they lost to the Shannonsiders narrowly in the provincial final and were then knocked out of the All-Ireland race by Kilkenny at the semi-final stage.
"It was disappointing, the way it ended up," said Duggan. "At the same time, hurling has never been as much fun as it is with the group of players that we have. If you're enjoying yourself, that's all that matters. Hurling is a small part of life and you have to be able to enjoy your life and have fun.
"I don't think we're far off anyone but it's a matter of consistently proving it. We had seven Championship games this year and we played very good in five or six of them. We left the Munster final behind us. There's been plenty of occasions where we have shown how good we are but there have also been plenty of occasions where we've shown that we still have a bit of improving to do.
"Look, it's just go back to the drawing board in November or December when we get a phone call to go back. And hopefully I get that call. If we do, we'll try to find that extra three or four percent because we've come close, we just haven't got fully over the line."
