The Heff and an All-Ireland U21 final
November 27, 2010The main goal at the start of the year was to get to Thurles," says Neil Heffernan of the Meath U21 hurlers' aspirations for 2010. "That's the home of hurling and we wanted to get down there, so it was great to make it to the All-Ireland final."
On occasion, an All-Ireland U21 'A' final may fall victim to a low profile, but this year's clash between Meath and Kerry was far from a run-of-the-mill experience. The game served as the curtain-raiser for the top-tier All-Ireland U21 decider between Galway and an exceptional Tipperary side, which contained half a dozen of the victorious seniors. Not only that, but the game was in Thurles. Six days after Tipp had silenced Kilkenny's five-in-a-row bid in an unforgettable encounter at Croke Park.
"It's hard to describe the atmosphere there that day," says Heffernan. "Towards the end of our game the place was packed for the main game, and the atmosphere was unbelievable. There was a huge buzz from the Tipp supporters. The town was buzzing all day."
Meath brought excellent form into the decider, having amassed a grand total of 13-56 in their three previous games - or a per-game average of around 31 points. In the end, though, Kerry proved too strong on the day, running out 0-22 to 0-12 victors over Kevin Dowd's men in a game which was screened live by the TG4 cameras.
"People up this end of the country were tipping us to win it but it was always going to be tough against Kerry," says Heffernan. "They're always strong at underage level. I played on the Meath U16 team that played them in an All-Ireland semi-final a few years ago. We beat them down there by a point but we were lucky enough to get out of it, and I remember looking at their U21 team recognising a good few of the names.
"We were the underdogs, and that's the way it folded out. But we had chances and if we had taken them it might have been different. On the day it went their way, but that's not to say we won't get the better of them again."
While the result left the Royals bitterly disappointed, as time passed everyone involved could reflect on a fine year.
"I know we got bet in the All-Ireland final but we still look on the year as a success," says Heffernan. "We got a Leinster medal, represented ourselves in the final. We didn't win, but on another day we could have taken them. When you're bet it's hard to take, we were sour for a while, but everyone will be back. Whether it's the lads who are U21 for another year, or those like me who will be hoping to step up to senior, we'll be driving on again next year."
Heffernan was kept scoreless in the final but he was one of the driving forces of the journey to the showpiece occasion. He rattled the net six times en route to the Leinster title, with successive hat-tricks against Westmeath and Kildare, and fired another goal in the semi-final defeat of Roscommon.
The game against Wicklow in Navan ended up a one-sided contest, with Dowd's lads posting an impressive 6-26 for a 35-point victory, including three goals apiece from Heffernan and his Trim colleague Alan Douglas. "We always knew we would have the measure of Wicklow so that was easy enough alright, but the danger was always going to be Kildare or Westmeath in the final," says Heffernan.
In the end, it was the Lilywhites who came out on top in the other semi to stand in Meath's way. While the county's senior footballers would find Kildare a bridge too far in 2010, the Royals came out on top in the U21 hurling decider, with Heffernan rattling in three more goals to help his side to a 4-13 to 1-16 victory on his home turf in Trim.
"We were very confident ahead of that game," he says. "All 15 lads who were starting were all top class hurlers, and the people on the sideline were all well able for it too. There were lads playing senior championship for their clubs who weren't making the team, so when it came to strength in depth we definitely had it."
The panel advanced to an All-Ireland semi-final date with Roscommon, winning 3-17 to 1-9 to book a place in the All-Ireland showpiece at Semple Stadium. After his exploits in Leinster, Heffernan was limited to 1-2 against the Rossies but it was a fine team display at St Loman's in Mullingar, with ten different players finding the target.
"The management had done their homework so knew all about Roscommon's main lads," he says. "They had a very good centre forward, and a good corner forward who scored nearly everything for them. But we knew we were going into that game with a real fighting chance."
Once again, the victory was founded on a solid defensive effort, and Heffernan is anxious to pay tribute to the team's efforts at the opposite end of the field. "Our back-line was very good all year," he says. "If you look at all the results, we were keeping the goals down in every game, and you always have a chance if that's the case. Goals can kill a team. We knew if we held teams to one goal, we had the forwards to beat most teams."
While the newspaper reports stated that Heffernan raised four green flags against Kildare, the player himself is keen to set the record straight. "They said I hit four but I can only claim three that day," he says. "There was a bit of a shemozzle in and around the square, and [Na Fianna's] Barry Slevin got the final touch. It was given to me in the papers but I didn't claim it, I've no problem saying that. All I did was hold the goalie down and he put it in, so maybe you could say I got an assist!"
Nevertheless, hat-tricks in successive games marked the full forward out as a serious goal threat. That's nothing new to those who have watched him develop over the past 10 or 11 years, though. This is a player who once struck nine goals for Trim in a county U14 final against Navan O'Mahonys. "I think that final finished something like 12-5 to 0-5," he recalls. "We had a serious team that year, we won the Feile too."
All joking aside, rattling the net is clearly something he specialises in. "I would favour goals more than anything," he agrees. "I believe in taking the man on any chance I get. Even if it's the last puck of the game and it's a draw match I'll go for a goal. Go for the jugular at all times. Kill or be killed."
With that attitude, there must be full backs around the county who are sick of the sight of him. Heffernan, though, disagrees. "I wouldn't say that," he insists. "It's hard to get the better of most of them. Most lads at club level won't let you score anything too easily. I always remember my first senior game, when I was about 15, and I was on Pat Potterton. I prayed I'd never see him again. I think he retired the following year, thanks be to God!"
While the majority of GAA supporters in the county would have no qualms about admitting a strong preference for football, Heffernan feels that hurling in the county has improved in recent years. Kildalkey turned in an impressive display against Kilmessan in October to lift a second successive senior hurling title, while the U21s' journey to the All-Ireland 'A' final suggests that the younger players are coming through. An accomplished footballer as well, Heffernan has opted to concentrate on the big ball code at college in Tralee IT, where he started a health and leisure course earlier this year. He always makes himself available for both games for Trim but he will be bidding to nail down a place in the Meath senior hurling panel in 2011, having now left underage hurling behind him for good.
Before leaving the subject of the 21s for good, though, he is full of praise for all involved in coaching the team this year. "From listening to Ted [Dowd] at the start of the year he wanted all of us to be aiming to play senior for the county, maybe winning Christy Ring Cups and the like. Ted and Kit Ennis, Vinny Maguire, Tom Kirwan and Noel Keating, Paudie our rub man - he was our best character! - everyone did a great job."
As for hurling in the county, he believes the outlook is good. "It's definitely improving. When I was starting out hurling for Meath when I was 14 or 15 you were lucky to get a pair of togs. There had to be changes but now everyone is treated right, hurling is being taken seriously again. There are a lot of hurlers coming through who are very strong, so the future is looking bright." Tweet
