‘When he is on form, he is just unplayable’

SHC PREVIEW Dermody hoping to guide Ratoath to back-to-back SHC titles

After ending a 60-year-plus wait for an SHC title 12 months ago, the defending champions Ratoath are on the cusp of going back-to-back in 2025 when they face Kiltale this Sunday. At the helm of Ratoath this year is Westmeath native Andy Dermody. Speaking to the Meath Chronicle, Dermody reflected on a so far very successful first year in charge of Ratoath.

“The first few months were tough, we had plenty of lads in with county teams and we didn't really know what we had. Even the first game of the championship, Daithi McGowan was in with Meath footballers for that semi-final on the Sunday and we had our first round on the Monday. We got over the line that day against Kiltale and we have steadily improved. The last group game against Clann na nGael was the first time where I thought that we were really performing and bringing stuff from the training ground to games. I felt in the semi-final against Trim we were outstanding. I think we have improved with every game, which is what you want and I think there is more to come.”

Two big characters in the Ratoath dressing room are Cian Rogers and Jack McGowan. Dermody was blown away by Roger’s performance in the semi-final and had high praise for McGowan’s leadership qualities.

“Cian Rogers is absolutely amazing. He trains every single night, he never takes a night off and he goes flat out with both ourselves and the footballers. He’s a big game player. The bigger the day, the better he plays. Some of his scores against Trim were incredible. He got so many scores on the turn and I don't think any marker in the country could stop him that day. Our first goal came from a shot that was saved which he took, he could have four goals in that game. When he is on form, he is just unplayable. He has scored 7-23 from play in 6 games. That's fair going.” said Dermody

“The buzz among the players is incredible their a really tight-nit group. Jack McGowan is an incredible leader of men. He just makes the whole thing tick. Even the morning after the semi-final, he was organising a sauna session and the lads were getting a recovery in. The way the lads look up to him in particular is massive. If the men driving the bus are good characters, it makes a significant difference, and that is really the case in Ratoath.”

One man that has made a huge difference to Ratoath hurlers is their S&C coach, Trim native, Ciaran McDonagh. McDonagh has been working with Ratoath GAA in some shape or capacity for quite some time now and Dermody values McDonagh’s input massively.

“Ciaran McDonagh is an amazing man. In the last quarter of the semi-final, we outscored Trim 3-5 to 0-2. Ciaran McDonagh is the reason for that. The buy-in he gets from the lads is incredible. He puts them through work I would not like to do myself but the lads do it without any complaint. He is just an incredible character with an infectious enthusiasm. He is such a motivator. Me and him have really hit it off this year and I really love working with him. We bounce off each other well and the training is really well structured. The shape of him as well, I wouldn't like to take him on. He gets every ounce out of the lads, he is just brilliant.”

For the last decade or so, it has been apparent that Ratoath is one of, if not the only, club in Meath who have a realistic chance of winning both the SFC and SHC in the same year. In 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2025 Ratoath contested both the SHC final and the SFC final but never got over the line in both. Despite last Sunday’s defeat in the football, the club seem to be able to handle the issue of having so many dual players. Dermody said that the training schedule implemented has been a huge help in that regard.

“I do think a major part of getting the blend between the footballers and hurlers right is that we train on the same nights. When it is hurling week, the lads will train with us and if they want to, they can go and do a bit of football and visa versa. It means their not out every night of the week. If you are leaving the house every night to go to training, it can be draining. The way we do it, they get their rest days which is important.”

Dermody has been impressed with the way the opposition Kiltale have gone about their business this year. Ratoath may have comfortably dispatched Kiltale in round 1, but as the Westmeath man explained, that game is completely irrelevant to Ratoath in the context of Sunday’s final.

“The first round of the championship game is completely irrelevant. If anything, its just going to drive them on even more. Since that game, they have just gotten better and better and they have putting up massive scores. I watched the second-half of them against Longwood, which was the game after they played us , and I was shocked at how much they had improved even that short space of time. They've hammered Na Fianna and Kildalkey, their just on fire. It probably is the two-form teams meeting in the final and that is what you want.”