Legendary hurling goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry appears on this week’s show of A Hurler’s Life…
Brian Carroll, a former Offaly hurler, started ‘A Hurler’s Life’ podcast as a lockdown project. Each episode chats with a former great of the game about their hurling life.
Duffry Rovers club-man, and one of the greatest hurling goalkeepers of all time, Damien Fitzhenry, appears on this week’s episode and it’s certainly one that is worth listening to.
Like always, Carroll asked a number of questions. One question that always gathers a lot of interest is when Carroll asks the hurler to name the best six players they’ve ever played with. He posed that question to Fitzhenry:
“To pick six out of that time is a difficult thing to do. But it’s part of the podcast, and it’s very enjoyable,” Fitzhenry started.
“I’ve used my wildcard in the full-back line. I have Ger Cushe… a fantastic full-back who had fantastic years hurling for Wexford. The second person I have in there is Darragh Ryan, who took after Ger. When you’re in the goal, you want a guy in front of you that has a bit of stature.”
“I couldn’t pick a team without having Liam Dunne in my half-back line. All the skills in the game, small in stature, but he could do it whatever way you wanted to do it. If you wanted to mix it, he could do it no problem. If you wanted to go in and hurl, he could do that as well. He was pound for pound, the best hurler I’ve ever hurled with. There are no two ways about it.”
“Middle of the field… Adrian Fenlon. He was supreme. He was renowned for his sideline cuts and ground hurling. Whenever it went anywhere near Fenno, he was whipping and you be ready for it. That’s how our forwards got out in front.”
“At eleven, our famous captain, Martin Storey. Fantastic leader, fantastic hurler. Would chip in every day with four or five points. We had a great understanding. It only really had to be in his general direction and he would do everything in his power to get to it. He was another great hurler.”
“The last man, to make my six, has to be Larry O’Gorman. I’m putting him in the full-forward line. Larry O would be very close behind Liam Dunne to be the best hurler I’ve almost played with. He was a man for the big day. He was just made of that stuff. The bigger the occasion, the bigger the performance. It didn’t matter where he was (on the pitch), he was the go-to man and he was some hurler,” Fitzhenry told A Huler’s Life.
The full podcast, which is an excellent listen, can be listened to below:
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