Ballyhale Shamrocks manager Pat Hoban has admitted that his management team will have to motivate the players in a different way this year ahead of their pursuit of a sixth consecutive county title.
They became the first club in the history of Kilkenny to win five in a row in 2022 and they begin the defense of their crown this Saturday at 2 o’clock when they play host to Glenmore, live on KCLR with thanks to Gerry Comerford Drilling.
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Speaking to Scoreline, Shamrocks boss Hoban said that the squad’s will to win makes his job easier.
“The backroom setup is excellent. Our medical team is right up there. So no, this is a massive team effort of people bringing lots of different skill sets together. Our job is to enable the players to go out and perform. “
“It’s a dream come true for anybody involved in order to be involved with the team like that. Last year was a big year for the club. It was an anniversary year. They were creating history. So look, we’ll have to come up with a new motivation for this year, but there’s nothing like winning.”
We have a great bank holiday weekend of sport in store as the 1st round of our @StCanicesCU Senior, @michaellyngmtrs Hyundai Intermediate and @JJKavanaghBuses Junior league/championship kicks off this weekend with 18 games for supporters to choose from. pic.twitter.com/V6wyOIB4PV
— Kilkenny GAA (@KilkennyCLG) August 1, 2023
Speaking to Scoreline, Hoban also outlined how his team tends to peak come the beginning of the championship.
“I don’t think anybody goes out not to win any game. You know what I mean? So obviously, next weekend, we’ll be going out to win, and they’ll go out to win every game, and that’s what makes them phenomenal.
“It doesn’t always go your way. You know, you are working off of a relatively tight number, so the availability of certain players could be a problem that could cost you on a given day.”
“There’s not a switch. there’s absolutely not a switch that suddenly could be turned on. They obviously know how to win, and they realize what you’ve got to do to win.”
Listen back to the interview below:
