Waters only!
Joe Waters in action this year for Burren Rangers Photo: Pat Ahern
“I’m off it three years now this weekend,” says Joe Waters of Burren Rangers.
The 45-year-old was looking at the brave decision he took to give up the drink as he had felt it was dictating his life and definitely not in a positive way. He played with Burren Rangers in the 2020 junior hurling final but was taken off at half-time. He was a bit player and his hurling days looked over.
“In recent years, I had started drinking and acting the eejit. When I was hurling I was drinking and I was smoking,” he confesses.
The former Naomh Eoin hurler, who won county senior hurling championship medals in 2003 and 2005, also admitted that he felt his best days were behind him.
“I wasn’t expecting to go back hurling. The last time I hurled was 3-4 years ago. I felt that I owed them something. A good year. I also felt I had to do it before I regretted it as age was going against me.” He needed someone to have a little word in his ear. That happened.
“I said I would go back. I was talking to Shem Doyle. He asked was I coming back and I told him that if I was able to play rugby, why would I not try the hurling.” He got a rude awakening. He felt the game had changed a lot in a short space of time he was away.
“I didn’t realise how quick it was. Rugby is more physical ok but this was different.” Waters was also back playing with fellas who would have had no idea about how high a level he had played. Joe can laugh at himself.
“It is nice to be back with these young lads. When I was winning senior medals, a lot of those lads weren’t even born,” he points out.
The dual player says the Burren Rangers club have to push on now. They had 35 players listed on the match programme for the semi-final against St Mullins. Waters says the club must be ambitious “There are some fabulous hurlers there but you will not learn or achieve if you don’t go up. All the other teams in senior have a first and a second team. This is Burren’s first team. Their main aim is to win the junior.
“After Saturday, they should be looking at fielding a second team. Any lad on the line is fighting tooth and nail for a place. It is important to have strength and depth on the line. We need players to come along who want to go up.” He wants colleagues in the club to experience what he experienced with Naomh Eoin. Running out on the Netwatch Cullen Park and winning on Carlow’s Field of Dreams.
“The buzz you get when you go out on county final day.
“It would be fantastic for the group. There are some fantastic hurlers on that team. They have been fighting tooth and nail and haven’t been able to get over the line.
“Maybe it was their inexperience? There is something when the big day comes you are not focussed and the occasion gets to you.
It is time to get over it. There are good enough hurlers there to go up intermediate. You get better then. The game is a bit faster.
It is Burren Rangers first team and that is where they have to go. It might take a little time but they have to be looking at senior.” The Rangers team which go into the county final on Saturday has a nice balance of young, not so young and some older players. Kieran Lucas is a member of the management team which includes Pat Hickey and Liam Coleman. Strong and experienced men who have all sat on committee but have never failed to take their eye on what goes on out on the pitch.
“It is a great experience for the young lads. We keep them together. We have a squad of 21-22. We play a bit of practice matches against the intermediates but we stay on our own and work with the players,” says Kieran.
“It is mostly young lads coming through to minor ranks. It is a great opportunity to get them into adult hurling,” he adds.
Eddie Coady, Willie Hickey and John Coady bring a wealth of experience to the team.
“John Coady is great to encourage lads,” says Lucas.
“We ask Willie to look after the full-back line and encourage communication between the full-back line and the goalkeeper. Eddie is great to keep lads to keep their position in the half-back line and having those lads works to our advantage. It works well for us.” The Rangers mentor agrees his club are outsiders here.
“We are delighted to have them back in a final again. We will be up against it. When we played them in the first round, they were very strong in fairness to them. They are hungry but we will give it a go to the best of our ability. We ask the lads to give their best and if we win, we win. It is important that they give their best. Up to this they have come up trumps.”
