The Longford Slashers U-17 hurlers who will contest Sunday's Táin Óg League Division 2 Final against Carndonagh of Donegal.
By John Harrington
Hurling exists in counties with little tradition of the game thanks to the hard work of a few zealots.
Niall Ward is a good example of the breed. Hurling is currently thriving in Longford Slashers GAA club, and a good deal of the credit belongs to Ward.
He managed the senior team that won their first county championship for 20 years in 2021, and he’s also manager of the minor team that will contest the Táin Óg Division 2 U-17 Final against Carndonagh of Donegal this Sunday, a title they're seeking to retain.
He’s also effectively the team co-ordinator for ever other underage team in the club, and has gone so far as to register teams in the Roscommon and Westmeath club leagues to ensure a full programme of matches for every Slashers underage player.
It’s a serious logistical undertaking in terms of time-management and communication, but like the rest of his breed Ward does it all with a heart and a half for the simple love of hurling.
“It's a bit like spinning plates at times,” he says. “There are challenges every week in terms of what's on the schedule and you're always having to be thinking ahead but we'd rather have too many games than not enough.
“It's a struggle but I've two or three good people around me and we help each other out. The U-15 manager is back from his holidays this week and he helps me and I help him.
“We've another man that's looking after the U-13s and U-12s and he's a senior selector with me and anywhere he's needed he's there to give the hand. And our club secretary, Adrian Flynn, is also a senior selector and holds us all togehter with his organisational skills behind the scenes. That's the way we kind of work it between us.”
The Longford Slashers team that won a national Féile na nGael title in 2018.
The old adage that if you want a job done you should ask a busy person to do it springs to mind when it comes to Ward.
Last year he ended up as senior team manager pretty much by accident because no-one else wanted the gig.
The club had lost three county finals in the previous four years which made ending the 20 year wait all the sweeter and gave everyone working hard in the club to develop hurling a timely boost.
“It surely did give it a boost because we felt we were pushing from the bottom up for a couple of years now and it was nice to have something from the top down for a change," says Ward.
“Last year we won the U-13, U-15, U-17, and senior championship so we were in a healthy spot at that stage anyway and it all helps.
“Instead of us looking at Four Roads or someone else and wondering are we going to be able to keep it pucked out to them, maybe now some of them are looking at us.”
The player pathway in Longford Slashers now looks like it’s in very rude health.
The seniors are reigning county champions, and the U-17 team that will contest Sunday’s Táin Óg Final are a very talented bunch.
Four years ago they won a National Féile nan Gael title, and the group has stuck together despite the considerable challenges of Covid 19.
Unable to travel outside of the county to source a decent programme of competitive matches, the club instead ran an internal League to keep the players ticking over.
Longford Slashers hurling team manager, Niall Ward.
If they could win Sunday’s Táin Óg Final, it would be a nice reward for the considerable effort that has been put into nurturing this generation of Slashers hurling.
“Yeah, it would be nice, because this is a very special group I think," says Ward. "They're a really tight group of players. We don't have huge numbers but we have quality.
“The year we won the Féile we only had 16 players to go. They're a tight bunch and we put in a couple of U-15s this year to bolster it numbers wise which worked well for us against Castlebar in this year’s Táin Óg semi-final, but we could be up against a different proposition now next Sunday against Carndonagh.
“The year we won the Féile CupI believe they won the Shield the same year in the same division as us. We didn't actually ever get to play them, but I heard they won the Donegal minor League this year so they'll be tidy.”
You can be sure that Longford Slashers will be well prepared for the challenge. Hurling zealots like Ward aren’t the type to leave a stone unturned.
