Lory Meagher Final preview: ‘This is a massive game for Fermanagh hurling’

“It is a massive occasion for Fermanagh hurling – we are going into the national stadium to play a national final before an All-Ireland hurling semi-final; it is what all young Gaels dream of doing.

“But, having said that, we have to focus on the game and not the occasion; that’s all we can focus on,” he stated.

He also states that it is important for the sport in Fermanagh.

“It is five years since JP McGarry went up those steps, and five years is a long, long time.

“With Fermanagh having one adult club, perhaps we are not that far from extinction, so this is vital. There are seven or eight aspiring juvenile clubs there now and we want them to aspire to be the John Duffys or the Shea Currans.

“It is a game that is vitally important for hurling in Fermanagh.”

This is Baldwin’s first year in charge of the side, and while it is been a tough year, it is one that he has enjoyed.

“It is almost a year to the day from I took over the job, and I said to the boys that first night when I met them, that hurling has to become so high up on your priorities. You have your work, your families and then hurling – that’s how I see the game of hurling. This is pivotal, and in fairness, they have been great.

“They are a very hard-working bunch of lads and I have loved working with them.

“With no club games they had to wait patiently, but we were giving them things to do in the group, wall ball and fitness scenarios, and whatever we have asked them to do, they have done it to the letter of the law, and I can’t praise them highly enough,” he said.

Fermanagh secured their place in the final with a slender win over Louth before a come from behind draw with Cavan in Brewster Park. Louth then edged out the Breffni men to book their slot in the decider.

Fermanagh may have tasted victory over Louth in this year’s competition, but the Manager says that that will count for nothing on Saturday.

“It is totally different. We have looked at the video of Louth several times, and I’m sure we will do again for little things, but the reality is that it is a different day and a different game,” he commented.

He does, though, know that it is going to be a tight encounter.

‘A grain of sand’

“Louth are a very good side and there was absolutely nothing between Louth, Cavan and Fermanagh in the group. It was just the puck of a ball, and I think it will just come down to one score, a grain of sand, will separate these two teams ,and we will need Lady Luck and some things to go our way.

“Louth will want this badly, but we will just have to want it that little bit more,” said Baldwin.

The final was originally listed for two weeks ago, but was put back to allow it to be played in Croke Park, and Baldwin has been glad of the additional preparation time.

“We needed that extra time; we had a couple of injuries that we wanted to clear up and, thankfully, they are now going okay.

“We spent a lot of time focusing on set plays and game plays, just trying to cover every wee detail and scenario that might happen, and try to plan for that,” he explained.

The fact that the game is taking place in the wide open expanses of Croke Park has also figured into the Manager’s preparation plans.

“It changes the set-up ever so slightly. Croke Park is just so fast, and with that in mind we have trained on the 4G at the Bawnacre Centre to try and get used to that touch.

“It is also so big, and we will be looking at getting good ball into our front three and maybe not having our three quarter line as far up the field as we normally would, and instead let the ball do the work – that’s the sort of thing that we have been trying to work on,” he added.

He also feels that the squad will have to be utilised if they are to get over the line and claim the title.

“We talk about it all the time. I have used rugby as an example, where by 55 minutes in rugby, you see the forward line being replaced and it is the same here.

“We will need to use the bench, and it is good that it is so strong. We had an in-house game recently and the four of us in the management team sat down after and asked ourselves, ‘What do we do now?’

“There are so many bodies competing for these places, and that’s a testament to the work that the likes of Sean Duffy and the people that were there before us have done, that there is such a good panel of players there,” he added.

So, what do Fermanagh have to do to win the game?

“Without giving anything away, our attack, if we can get good, quick, quality ball into them and work very much on our discipline in keeping our fouls down, those are going to be key.

“There are other aspects, in terms of puck outs and competing in the breakdown area, but certainly if we can get enough of the ball into our front three, then that is the winning of the game for us. We have to move the ball quicker and more direct,” he said.

The Erne boss insists that his players have to grasp opportunity that is in front of them as they don’t know when they will be in this position again, and he also always thinks back to a piece of advice from Kilkenny legend, TJ Reid.

“A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to be down at Ballyhale Shamrocks and my own son, Conal, who we tragically lost, was with me and he asked TJ Reid: ‘What is the most important medal that you have won?’

“TJ Reid’s answer was just remarkable; he just said: ‘It is the next one’, and that man is still going strong.

“That’s the message I’m trying to get through: we don’t know when, as a group, when we will stand in that circle again. We don’t know what is going to happen next year, we don’t know who is going to retire, or who is going to go travelling, so we just have to make every single day count.

‘Our A-game’

“If we can bring our A-game, the first half we had against Leitrim, and the second half we had against Sligo, if we can bring that, I am absolutely positive that we will win the game.”

And he says that if they can secure the win, then it will be one that goes down in history.

“Three months ago we didn’t even know if we were going to get hurling, but now we are in the situation where we are going into a national final.

“This will be the year that everyone will remember, what happened in 2020? Brexit, coronavirus and, hopefully, Fermanagh won the Lory Meagher,” he said.