Sean’s passion shines through
Pierce confident of upset
ARKLOW Rocks manager Sean Pierce is in his first year of management and he’s loving it. The Cork native has found a second home in the Arklow club, played for a number of years but took over at the helm of their Intermediate hurling side after injury curtailed his own playing career.
Sean loves the Rocks. He loves the people, loves the history, loves the honesty and the family atmosphere within the club.
He speaks fondly of the likes of Jason Redmond, Kevin Reilly (‘he bleeds Rocks’, says Sean, John Somers, Tom Byrne and Peadar Keogh.
His year as manager started off well with two wins in the Leinster League. Alas, an early joust with Avondale sent him back to the drawing board but the recovery has been steady and now he sends his charges out on to the pitch in Joule Park Aughrim to do battle with the ’Dales in the county final on Sunday.
‘Leinster League could have been our first games and it was kind of stop-start with the weather. It wasn’t a great start, just from a weather perspective. Leinster League went ok, you have your little journeys, your little days away and we ended up in the quarter-finals of that against Avondale, funnily enough. We won our other two group games in that two Carlow Town in the dog track and Gracefield in Kildare, two good, solid games, but weather conditions would be a lot different than to what they are now,’ said Sean when asked to describe the start to his season.
‘Then we played Avondale and they gave us a proper clipping. We went back to the drawing board after that, just to change a few things. This is my first year managing any kind of a team really, the Leinster League probably went too good up to that point. That happened in Avondale and we went back to the drawing board as I say.
‘It was their first year down, when I first landed here in Arklow they would have been one of the top four or five teams in the county. We probably showed them too much respect, they had a little bit too much cuteness for us. They got to the final of that Leinster League, but it was a good eye-opener for us to see the level we were going into,’ he added.
‘In years gone by the Intermediate championship has ticked on and ticked on and ticked on and next thing there’s a semi-final or a final all of a sudden and you don’t know how you’re there or why you’re there. This year, that was the first test of the year, and I suppose it was for them as well, it would have been the first game against a Wicklow team in the grade they were going into.
Sean’s introduction to manage- ment involved trying to inspire lads to hurl. The Ballyclough man has an open door policy for players to come and go where they see fit.
‘At the start of the year you’re talking to different lads. My first year in this and I talked to more lads.
‘You’re just trying to get a group there that you know as well as lads that want to hurl. I said to them at the start of the year that I wasn’t going to force anyone to be there, the door was always going to be open. If anyone didn’t like what was happening or couldn’t commit the door was open, and that’s open if they wanted to come back as well. The club always come first.
‘We got a great programme of games early in the year to be honest with you.
‘Some of the second teams might have played a few of their first team players, we don’t have that option, so you’re playing against a level above you. The work rate in those games, you kind of look at it and you say that you know it’s a level above you, but the lads are putting it in. They’re starting to enjoy playing hurling,’ he said.
Tightening the bond between the players has been vital for Sean Pierce’s side. The hurling league brought them on trips to Carnew and Kilcoole and offered the hurlers more chances to get to know each other better and make the hurling even more enjoyable.
‘We played Pat’s up in St Pat’s on a Sunday morning. We played Carnew down in Carnew, Glenealy here at home and Kilcoole away, so lots going away, getting lads into the car together like the Leinster League and it’s easier when you’re hurling with your friends. But that only comes by being with the lads, talking to each other, different age groups, they wouldn’t have a whole lot in common other than the hurling and if you can be part of the group and you like the lads then it’s enjoyable to come,’ he said.
A key moment in the season for the Rocks was the victory over Carnew in the championship. Sean Pierce agrees.
‘It was a marker for the year. You had it all to do. you could go home or hurl. You’re not going to get anything soft with Carnew. you’re going to have to earn it. The lads went out that day and they played their hearts out. There were some Carnew lads who have stepped up to Senior since then, but it was a groundbreaking day for us. It was a tough game. It put belief into all the lads. I’d have great faith in all the lads, that’s why I’m here, I know what they can do. It’s just getting it out of them at times,; he added.
‘Avondale dropped down to win Intermediate. They’ve probably been missing one or two every time we’ve played them and they’re coming with a plan, but the best laid plans of mice and men and all that, you have to look at it like that.
‘Their the only team down from Senior, logic suggests that they’ll be the best team in the grade below it. you have to give them creidt where credit is due. Had they been knocked out at the quarter-final or semi-final stage they would hjave had to have a good look at themselves. Their plan is on course,’ he added.
Sean Pierce knows hurling, there’s no mistaking that. He knows full well that his side are going into this game as underdogs but he will have a plan and the Rocks are very capable of causing a seismic shock.
‘We’re not going to make up numbers,’ he said.