Hayes still driving towards ultimate goal

IF HE sells cars half as well as he sells hurling then no wonder business is good. Damien Hayes is on the road to his third All-Ireland hurling final – 11 years after his first, and seven years after his last.

And like an old car that’s been sitting on the lot for ages, huge mileage on the clock, a little beat up, he knows it’s the engine that counts, what’s going on under the bonnet. That’s why he can’t wait to get it motoring.

“Sorry, people don’t realise it,” he says. “People haven’t a clue. Training four nights a week, at 7pm, so I’m out of work at 5pm, trying to get something to eat, then onto the pitch before training for some physio, an hour and a half training, then an hour and a half home, from Athenry, back to Portumna, so it’s 10.30, 11 o’clock when you’re home.

“What I find the hardest as well is how tired you’d be the next morning. Up at 8am, and I know other lads are up even earlier, but then I’m dealing with the public, with people, selling cars, Monday to Saturday, 9pm-to-5pm. In the evenings it’s training, or else farming. Because we’ve a farm at home as well.”

Home is home and work is Al Hayes Cars in Portumna – the dad’s business – and Hayes is saying all this with a big grin on his face, knowing most county hurlers would give their right arm to be in his position: “And the commitment is getting more and more, every year,” he adds.

“I’m getting married at the end of the year too, and we’re building a house. So you have to organise your time much better as you get older.”

Then comes the big sell, the irresistible smile, that nod of approval that says you won’t get a better ride in life.

“Because you know what? This year has been the most enjoyable, and I wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t enjoyable. I was in the panel in 2001, at only 19, when we lost to Tipp. You don’t forget what that dressingroom is like after. There’s huge disappointment.

“There’s a whole year’s preparation, really, gone into it, and for some players even longer, so it’s not a nice place to be.

“Then in 2005, after losing to Cork, what I remember was we were so disappointed to lose, that five of us from that team, Portumna players, all went back training the following Wednesday. We went on to win the county final, and went on to win the All-Ireland, beat Newtownshandrum, but it was just to get back training, really.

“And sure there wouldn’t be a week that goes by when you wouldn’t think about losing an All-Ireland. We conceded soft scores, stupid frees, and I think it was Diarmuid O’Sullivan from Cork who said after, ‘we knew we would never lose that game’ . . We didn’t play as well as we could, and that’s the most disappointing part.

“That’s the one thing I’ll be telling the younger players, now, is not to make it any bigger than it is. It’s another game. As you get older, you are able to deal with the hype an awful lot better.”

Damien Hayes, the 2012 edition, is vorsprung durch technik, as they say in the car business, driving around midfield, no longer in pole position, and after a couple of years of being nearly lost with Galway, he’ll take any position he gets.

“Well, true, but I’d had the knee injuries, the operations, as well. In fairness I spoke with the management when they came in, in November. They knew I’d a lot of commitments this year, but they were happy with my attitude, and enthusiasm, that I was still part of the plans.

“But, look, I mind myself very well. I don’t drink. When you’re younger you’d be eating the Supermacs, but you wouldn’t now. You’d be minding the recovery, getting into the sea, taking time outs. You can’t go to the hurling wall all the time.”

Hayes slipped seamlessly into his new role in the league play-off game, against Dublin, hasn’t looked back since.

“And I’ve enjoyed it. Playing in the corner, you’re waiting for the ball, concentrating, trying to make runs. You might make 20 runs in 20 minutes and you might touch the ball only twice. When you’re out the field you’re more involved, and my role is now gone from expecting to score 1-3 in every game, to creating five to 10 points per game, for other players.

“My role is to bring lads into the game, to make unselfish runs, and it was part of our new system. I only scored one point in the Leinster final, but I did a lot more than score one point.”

Hayes knows too he’ll need to do a lot more again to beat Kilkenny, for a second time, not that he’s worried about driving up against the same old brand.

“Sure how many times do Real Madrid play Barcelona? How many times do Liverpool play Man United? Kilkenny are the top team in the country, we know what’s ahead of us. It won’t be easy.

“Of course it would mean an awful lot for us to win. That’s why you play at the highest level, to win the Celtic Cross, the All-Ireland medal. We’ve a 50-50 chance, we’ll give it everything, and hopefully that’ll be enough.”