Carlow won their first Christy Ring Cup since 2009 when they defeated Antrim in the final on Saturday in a high-scoring thriller by 5-23 to 4-15.
According to the Carlow manager, Colm Bonnar, one of the most crucial aspects of his side’s preparation for the game was a trip up to Croke Park the week previously.
The majority of his players would never have played in GAA HQ before, apart from the Mount Leinster Rangers contingent who played in the All-Ireland club final against Portumna in 2014.
“We got up there (Croke Park) the week before, because the only lads that got involved or had been used to Croke Park would’ve been the Mount Leinster Rangers lads, who played there a few years ago. We brought them up and we had a tour around Croke Park, the dressing rooms going out the tunnel. We visualised being on the pitch and the whole lot,” said the two-time All-Ireland winner with Tipperary.
It was a calming measure for his side. They sampled the atmosphere, they got the butterflies out of their system and they were ready to hit the ground running by the time the big game came around.
Visualisation is often referenced as a key psychological element in modern sport. This trip was a helpful visualisation technique for Bonnar and his Carlow men.
“[We did it] So that nobody would be shocked when we got out onto the pitch next week, so I think that worked well and it kind of calmed their nerves. If anything it made them look forward to the game a little bit more because the pitch was just unbelievable order. It did help us in terms of visualising what we had ahead of us and it did help us when we got up there,” added the former All-Star.
The 52-year-old Cashel man went on to claim that the main difference between the likes of Carlow, and the more successful hurling counties comes down to the speed of their actions. They have the hurling ability, they’re just not operating at the same pace as the division 1A counties, for example.
“Carlow lads are well able to hurl, and they’re a match for any of those teams (Division 1B). It’s really just down to speed of thought and speed of movement because the lads have the hurling, they just need do it at a faster level. That’s what you need as you move up the rankings. I think the bunch of lads that are in Carlow there at the moment are well capable of making the step-up,” said Bonnar.
They won’t be afraid of playing Laois in their All-Ireland Preliminary Round Qualifier, either, according to Bonnar.
“Everybody wants to play in the Liam McCarthy, everybody wants to get challenged by the best players so we’re taking another step up now taking on Laois, and we’re going to relish that opportunity.”
Listen to the Bonnar interview here from 1’03’00”.
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