Cheddar’s passion undimmed as Offaly await in Leinster
WITH the sun baking the country this past week, and a Championship game to prepare his team for, Séamus ‘Cheddar’ Plunkett was in a sunny mood. There may be a sense that the progress which Laois hurlers have made under the passionate Plunkett has stalled somewhat, but they were still able to salvage a difficult League campaign by beating Westmeath in the relegation/promotion playoff.
It means another season mixing it with the big boys in Division 1B and Plunkett says that was the most important thing for the year, irrespective of what happens in today’s Leinster SHC quarter-final against Offaly,
‘The priority was to stay in Division 1B and we achieved that,’ Plunkett says. ‘We were competitive in most of our games.
‘Okay, we didn’t perform well against Limerick or Kerry the first day out, but the rest of the games, we were reasonably competitive in.
‘We gave a good account of ourselves against Clare and we have all seen what they have gone on to do.’
Plunkett has been fighting the good fight in the cause of Laois hurling for years and such is his passion that he has almost become the public face of those counties trying to climb an extra few rungs on the ladder − and their constant battle for respect.
A reason that Laois’ progress has reached a plateau is that there are only eight survivors from last year’s Championship win over Offaly, including the talented Zane Keenan who nailed 11 points that day − the first time they beat the Faithful county in Championship in 43 years. Plunkett gives five players their Championship debut this afternoon in Tullamore – goalkeeper Enda Rowland, half-backs Leigh Bergin and Ryan Mullaney, midfielder Colm Stapleton and cornerforward John Lennon.
Cheddar has clear views on what Croke Park should be doing to ensure that hurling’s elite is no longer a closed shop. ‘Look, this is probably not the time for me to be saying this but the biggest issue facing hurling is how we are going to widen the circle of top teams and ensure that more teams are competing more consistently for Liam MacCarthy. And it is doable, there is no reason why we can’t get more counties competing at the top table but it will take will from all sides and I wonder if that is there. But that’s for another day.’
Plunkett’s passion deserves a place on the next committee formed in Croke Park to try and save hurling. But for the moment, the immediate priority is getting past Offaly and into a Leinster semi-final.
If his team manage that, it will prove that Cheddar’s is a voice that needs to be heard.