'It's great because you can get caught up in hurling and nearly drive yourself demented'
LEINSTER HURLING SHOWDOWNS on the pitch dominated Billy Ryan’s weekends from April to June, before he had to steel himself for the Monday morning interrogations.
In St Patrick’s De La Salle in Kilkenny where Ryan teaches second class, the pundits are straight talkers.
In a school where Brian Cody is a former principal, hurling dominates the agenda.
“It’s actually fantastic. If you play well on the Sunday, they’ll bring you right back down. They’ll humble you straight away. I love it. I genuinely love it. In fairness, the class I have as well, there’s a lot of lads that love the hurling.
“We were playing Antrim up in Belfast this year and a few of them went up to it. The support has been absolutely immense for me and I’m truly grateful for it. I have great people around me and the community as well where I’m from in Ballycallan, it’s so supportive. It’s a great school, in fairness. I love going in every morning. It’s definitely something I enjoy.”
Amidst the demands of trying to win Leinster and getting himself set for big days like Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final with Tipperary, Ryan finds the day job a grounding experience.
“It’s great because you can get caught up in the hurling thing and you can nearly drive yourself demented with hurling and what not. I just find teaching is great in the way it resets you and you can divide the man from the player in a way when you’re going back into the working environment. You’re trying to be a role model for these children and show them the way of how to go about their day-to-day stuff.”
If there’s a been a below-par display in Kilkenny colours, Ryan will be informed soon by his students.
“It’s great. It brings you back down to earth. Look, children are children. They’re so curious and fantastic in the way that they’ll say it bluntly. They don’t mean any harm in it. They just haven’t learned the social skills yet. They’re just speaking how it is. Sometimes it’s actually a good thing.”
Ryan trains the school hurling team and is dealing mostly with youngsters from city clubs James Stephens and O’Loughlin Gaels.
His home club Graigue-Ballycallan is nearby on the western side of Kilkenny, hard up against the Tipperay border.
The pulsating rivalry between the counties that spanned the 2009-19 period gripped his imagination.
“You had documentaries even being made about it, Sheedy versus Cody, they were incredible times. I was a young lad and you’re immersed in that. It probably just drives a little bit of a hunger inside you when you’re watching all of those.”
He didn’t have to look far for local heroes.
“I’ve been very, very lucky that I was immersed into a club in Graigue-Ballycallan that’s steeped in history. So many really talented hurlers have gone through the club in years gone by. You look at John Hoyne, Eddie Brennan, James Ryall, we’ve been really, really lucky to have those lads.
“Being a forward, I suppose Eddie was the one I looked at and how I could model myself off his game. He was incredible. His hunger for goals and the way he was so fast, I tried to model myself off that. You had James Ryall there as well, I played with him for years with the club. He was absolutely immense for us as a club.”
Ryan’s personal form has spiked this year as he has tapped into a higher level of consistency – scoring 0-2 v Galway, 0-4 v Offaly, 2-3 v Dublin, and 0-3 v Galway in the Leinster final.
“At the start of the year, you’re looking at what you want to achieve when you’re setting out your goals. Definitely one of them for me was trying to get after consistency. You’re just trying to build consistency in little habits daily and trying to be consistent in training. It’s definitely a thing as an athlete and a sportsperson that it’s no secret you have to win the days and all that kind of stuff in order to become a better player.
“I’d be a big sports fan anyway. I’d have interest in the NFL, soccer and you’re looking at those players and you’re looking at what are they doing that’s making them better and can I model myself off things they’re doing.”
His calm and composed nature has helped the 28-year-old approach these marquee championship days.
“I’d be a calm person anyway. I’ve a very kind of relaxed, easy-going nature. It could be your downfall too. It depends who you ask. I would be very laid-back, yeah. My dad is very laid-back too. I didn’t pick it off the floor, I obviously got it from him.
“But didn’t Kobe Bryant have his alter ego as well? For me personally, it’s nearly a thing where you have to flick a switch. And you can’t be laid-back on a hurling pitch. You’re going to get eaten up and you have to be ready for the challenge head on. I can guarantee you if you’re marking a Niall O’Leary, just because he’s here behind me, he’s going to take you to the cleaners if you’re going to be laid-back. You have to be fully focused.”
“I’ve a very kind of relaxed, easy-going nature anyway.
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