Versatile Ryan happy to fill in wherever he is needed
The platform built around the midfield by Shea Ryan and others helped Sarsfields come back from 12 points down against Johnstownbridge Photo: Sean Brilly
It was as eye-catching a comeback as seen in the Joe Mallon Motor Senior Football Championship for many, many years as Sarsfields came from 12 points down early in the second half to beat Johnstownbridge by 2-21 to 2-17 last weekend to reach the semi-final.
Shea Ryan said the team had to endure some tough spells through the first half and he was just glad they were able to find the momentum needed in the second half to turn things around.
“We probably did panic a small bit in the first half, we were rushing shots a bit. We knew before the match that we were playing against a strong wind and we talked about not talking silly shots, we warmed up into that end but I just think in the heat of battle we took a few too many bad shots. We didn’t press out on their shooters and to be fair to Johnstownbridge, everything went over for them in that first half. They have some good long range scorers so it was a testament to them to be 12 points up, and they were fully deserving of it.
“We knew at half time that if we got the couple of scores on the board that we could get a press on with the wind. Thankfully they just went over in the end,” he said.
Playing in midfield alongside the giant presence of Tadhg Hoey, Ryan was instrumental in helping turning the tide as Sarsfields dominated the Johnstownbridge kickout through the second half to such an extent that they struggled to make any inroads into the Sash backline.
“It’s something we have focused on since the start of the year, getting strong around the middle and making sure that we are not making it easy for teams to come out. You can see even in the inter county matches that attacking other teams kick outs has been a real big platform for teams so that is something we are definitely targeting,” said Ryan.
It was a different role for the versatile Ryan after playing in a man-marking defensive role in the impressive win over Naas in the previous game, and he has also played as a wing forward at times too. He said he is just happy to do whatever job is asked of him.
“It's something that I’ve done over the last few years, played in different positions. I’m happy to fill in wherever, as we always say it’s a privilege to get a jersey for this team so wherever I’m needed I’m just grateful to get a number between 1 and 15,” he said.
The remaining teams will all be working hard over the next ten days before the semi-finals but one thing that will be occupying the Sarsfields minds will the three-up/three-back rule. Twice in the opening 14 minutes against Johnstownbridge they breeched that rule and on a day when their opponents had a strong wind behind them and were kicking so well that resulted in two two-pointers scored.
“It’s something that plagued us a small bit through the Aldridge Cup and the League. I think they were probably our first ones in the Championship but that’s something that we definitely want to work on because as the games get more intense people might lose that bit of focus. It’s just important to stick to the plan and that everybody knows their roles so that we don’t get caught for silly things like that because that cost us four points there in the first half, two two-pointers for them,” said Ryan.
Sarsfields were the last of the teams into the semi-final and it means the same four teams are left in the competition as it was at this stage last year. Although they were different match ups, that led to two high quality games that needed extra time before a winner was decided and Ryan is expecting some close games again.
“It’s four top teams there, including us, who are up the top there. Them games take on a life of their own so I’m just looking forward to getting back to training this week and then going at it on Sunday week,” he said.
The fact that Sarsfields are managed by former Athy boss Vinnie Walsh, and also have John Doran as part of their management team, adds an extra layer of intrigue to their semi-final clash but Ryan said that the two teams already know each other inside out.
“They’ll know how we are playing with Vinnie and John there, Vinnie will have a fair idea of how they are playing but we’ve played each other so many times during the time I’ve been here – seven, eight, nine years – that we all know each other anyway. It will definitely be a tough game but one I’m looking forward to,” he said.
