Inter-county hurling has been the cause of much debate in recent years as the powers that be continue to seek the best format to help improve the standard of the game. The introduction of the Christy Ring and Nicky Rackard Cups has certainly benefited second and third tier teams respectively. Meath hurler Stephen Clynch has competed in the aforementioned Christy Ring Cup since its inauguration in 2004 and although he is delighted that there is such a competitive competition, the Kilmessan clubman is keen to play against the best in the top tier. Stephen is realistic enough to know that Meath hurling is some way off the Kilkennys and Corks of this world, but in all fairness, there are not many counties that can say they are able to compete with the top two. There are genuine concerns for the future of hurling as Kilkenny's dominance of the modern game has left their rivals trailing a long distance behind them. Nonetheless, despite this fact, Stephen revealed that the work is being done in the county at all levels and it may not be too long before the Royals will enter the All-Ireland series. "There is a huge gap between a lot of the counties in hurling at the moment. Kilkenny, of course are way ahead of everyone else and the step up from the second tier to the first is a massive one, but does has not put us off from reaching our goal, which is to win the Christy Ring Cup," he said. "Massive work is being done in Meath hurling at both underage and senior level in the last few years and if the county is to produce teams that can compete, it all has to start with the underage teams, right from an early age." Meath were ranked as outsiders for the 2007 Christy Ring Cup, but within the county there was a strong belief that the Royals could make a big impression on the campaign. "John Andrews brought a very professional approach as manager right from the outset and the lads all pulled together leaving us confident that we could do well." The defining moment that confirmed Stephen's believe that Meath could do very well in the campaign, came when the squad travelled to Clare for a training camp with former Clare goalkeeper Davy Fitzgerald. "That weekend away was a huge leaning curve not only for the players, but I'm sure for the management and backroom team also. It definitely worked for everyone as we got to see what was involved in training at the top level." Many are of the opinion that the training methods of the top teams are a far cry from what goes on with the so-called 'weaker teams', but the talented forward revealed that there is only one significant difference. "The drills are very much the same. They may be varied somewhat, but the major difference is the intensity of the training. Everything was done at speed with the top counties, unlike, some of the weaker counties that would do most drills at a slower speed. This is something that we have worked on since." Later in the year, Fitzgerald met up with the squad in Dunganny and the intensity was evident as the All-Star goalkeeper put the Meath squad through their paces. "Both those sessions brought us on a lot as it showed us what it takes to compete at the highest level. Even though we are some way off that mark, at least we have an idea of what has to be done to close the gap a bit." Following a mediocre league campaign, Meath entered a tough group in the Christy Ring Cup as both favourites Westmeath and Down were to face Andrews' charges along with Kerry and Mayo. A well deserved draw against neighbours and rivals Westmeath set the tone for the campaign as Meath went through unbeaten and qualified for a semi final clash against Kildare. Heading in to the penultimate round, the Royals were confident of reaching their first final appearance in this fledgling championship. "There is no doubt about it; we really believed that we had a great chance of reaching the final. The preparations all year had been spot on and we couldn't have prepared any better." Nonetheless, it was not to be for Meath as they were defeated by the narrowest of margins, although they did not play to anywhere near their full potential. "It was a disappointing performance to say the least and we never really got going. The defeat was made all the more disheartening as Westmeath easily defeated Kildare in the final and I'm convinced that we would have put it up to them." The year may have ended in disappointment for Meath, but there were many positives to take from the campaign and already Stephen is looking forward to the 2008 campaign. "There were plenty of good things that came out of the year and it will be important to carry them through to next year. I've no doubt that we are good enough to win the Christy Ring Cup and it is our aim to reach the top tier. We know that we are not as good as the teams already there, but I'm confident that by playing them, it will help our game too." As stated, the inter-county star plays his club hurling with Kilmessan, which is without doubt one of the most successful clubs in the county for many years. Although the club is based in a rural area where numbers are not that plentiful, Kilmessan have continued to produce strong teams at all grades on a regular basis. "The work being done in the club is incredible. There is a great underage structure in place and the lads looking after that deserve great credit for what they have done. Young boys and girls are usually start hurling in our club at nine and 10 years of age. This sees them learning the skills from a very early age and we're fortunate to have some very talented players in the club." Tweet

Most Read Stories