It was a busy Saturday for Anthony Nash. Not as busy as he wanted it to be.
After Anthony Nash was named by John Meyler to start in goals for the Cork team to face Kilkenny in their league opener, all sorts of opinions were formed and conclusions drawn.
John Meyler was criticised for apparently demanding him to play for his county, just five hours after his All-Ireland semi-final with his club Kanturk in Newbridge.
Meyler was criticised for not giving sub goalkeeper Patrick Collins a chance. Nash was hailed for his dedication and love for the game.
As it turned out, Nash played a starring role for Kanturk as they took out Armagh and Ulster champions Middletown and booked their place in an All-Ireland intermediate decider against St. Patrick’s Ballyragget of Kilkenny.
Nash made the dash down to Páirc Uí Chaoimh for the Rebel’s outing, but would spend his night on the bench, after Cork manager Meyler entrusted Patrick Collins with the net-minding duties for the night.
Speaking in Croke Park on Tuesday in the build-up to Saturday’s AIB All-Ireland Intermediate hurling final, Nash quashed those rumours about his manager requesting him to play two games in five hours.
In fact, it was Nash himself who had requested of Meyler to play him.
“I suppose a lot was written and spoken about it. I put myself forward to be selected. That was as simple as that. I heard stories of people giving out about John (Meyler) forcing me to do this.
“John didn’t, it was actually the opposite. I actually said to John, the way it was working out if the (Kanturk) game had gone on the first day, I would have been able to play against Kilkenny and please God if we got to the (club) final, unfortunately I wouldn’t have been able to play both (Kilkenny and Wexford games). Like Páirc Uí Chaoimh under lights, the first Cork hurling match, I was mad to play.”
He lives for these big games. He loves the pressure, the buzz of it all. Meyler, instead of being the demanding, misunderstanding dictator many were painting him as being, was the one who told him to focus on his club commitments.
“I’d spoken to the management and laid out my plans and just said it to them. It was John and the management who said to be fair to me and to Kanturk to go and concentrate on them. They let me know good and early. I was disappointed initially because it was just the whole occasion and that but look I fully respected their decision and fortunate enough we got the win anyway.
“It was just the whole occasion but it was completely and entirely I put myself forward to be selected initially and I suppose just maybe a bit of common sense from the management and they had a chat with me about it. But it was nothing to do with being forced to come down.”
“I think at my age now and the experience I have, I think if I felt I wasn’t going to be okay or anything like that, I wouldn’t have said to the management like that. John would never nor have any other manager ever forced me to do anything under that. Look it’s water off a duck’s back to John. I stayed away from it, we all stay away from it as much as we can if possible but I just heard after the game that night that he had received a bit of stuff like that.
“Look it’s Páirc Uí Chaoimh under lights, Kilkenny, home game, double-header, the crowd was there, packed, lovely night for hurling, course you want to be involved. If you’re playing hurling, you love playing game, that was the first real, real competitive game we had all year so of course I wanted to be involved and if there was any stick to be laid on, it was to be laid on to me because I was the one who wanted to play in it.
What an attitude to have.
Anthony Nash of Kanturk ahead of the AIB GAA All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Club Championship Final against Ballyragget taking place at Croke Park this Sunday 4th February. For exclusive content and behind the scenes action throughout the AIB GAA & Camogie Club Championships follow AIB GAA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
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