Shaw Speaks Candidly on EHL Rd. 1
As Glenanne set their sights on Barcelona, for Round 1 of the prestigious European Hockey League, coach Graham Shaw took time out to talk about the team and their hopes.
As far as training is concerned, the team couldn’t be more prepared. Pre-season kicked off at the end of July, which saw the team train intensively, focussing on fitness and core strength. A friendly tournament helped kick off the teams match preparations, with matches against Three Rock Rovers and fellow EHL hopefuls, Beeston. A victory over fellow EHL and Leinster League rivals Pembroke set Glenanne supporters hopes on high.
The new players have gelled well with the squad. Glenanne men’s firsts suffered at the end of last season, with the loss of former Irish International Stephen Butler to Dragons of Belgium, the hardworking graft of John Goulding to London, the energy of Alan Lewis (Hockey sabbatical) and the experienced heads of Paul Fitzpatrick (YM Assistant Coach), Clinton Murphy (retired from top tier hockey) and Mark Lambe (retired from top tier hockey). “It was a great loss” revealed Shaw, adding “we lost a lot of experienced players and friends, but we have gained too. The acquisition of Stephen Brownlow form Avoca, has added to our strike force. We also signed two Dutch players who, most beneficial of all, have played hockey in other European countries, which is invaluable”.
With regard to the tough task ahead of Glenanne, when they take to the field against Mannheimer, Shaw was honest – “playing against German teams is always difficult. I’ve experienced this at International level”. Shaw is Ireland’s second most capped player of all time, experience which has helped immensely since taking the role as Glenanne coach. “They are well organised” says Shaw, adding “they have flair, with players like Matthias Witthaus. Mannheimer’s Internationals bring a wealth of experience to their squad. We’re looking forward to the game. Our focus is on working hard and showing Europe our abilities and depth”.
The game against Grunwald, however, is different. Glenanne have experience against the Poles, having played them in the EHL Round 1 last year. They know what to expect and know that they didn’t play to their potential last year. “We are very confident going into this game. We’ve played them before”. The Poles have a team of current and ex-International players, all of whom Graham and captain, Joe Brennan, have played against at International level. Glenanne, however, have Internationals in the making. Gary Shaw, Shane O’Donoghue and Jonathan Kane have all been partaking in one way or another with the Irish set-up.
Shaw’s closing thoughts were on the support. “the squad knows that we have the best supporters in Leinster, Ireland and even Europe. No other team’s supporters were mentioned as much as ours last year. We are really looking forward to walking out onto the pitch and seeing a sea of green in front of us, cheering us on”.
