Campion crunches the numbers for Nenagh CBS

By Shane Brophy

In modern inter-county hurling, statistics play such an important role in a team’s preparation, and it is no less at schools level.

So, it is no surprise that someone who teaches business and accounting, Miriam Campion, is entrusted with that role with this Nenagh CBS team, along with a crew of transition year students.

Campion is well used to high performance as a former Tipperary senior camogie player and has been part of the five-in-a-row county senior champion Drom & Inch club.

“As a player, with Tipp we would have done a bit. With Drom, not so much, but I think it is very beneficial,” she said.

Campion was on the management team for the Dean Ryan Cup success last November, along with Philip Hickey, Mike Gough, and senior players Darragh McCarthy, Cian Connolly and Zak Keller and revealed some of the areas that the stats can be beneficial in.

“The stats can identity different problems and lets the lads see from a tactical point of view what we are trying to do,” she revealed.

“On the under 17 team, puckouts were something we put a lot of emphasis on as it was an area, we were struggling in which was picked up from the starts.

“This year, before the video sessions the lads see the stats on a number of areas. At half time in the CBS game (semi-final), the lads came in disappointed with their performance but prior to the match if you said to them that they would be six points up against a team like CBC they would have been happy.

“They are very eager for information; all the lads are so into it. They are so hungry for success and know what it takes to win now, between under 17 & senior panel they haven’t lost a game this year, so it is creating a winning habit.”

Campion is a key member in the promotion of hurling in what is an boys only school but her input, as a female, has never been undermined since she first became involved.

“There has never been a lack of respect from any one of them,” she said.

“They would listen to what I have to say and would appreciate what you do for them so I would commend all the lads in the school for that, not only me, but all female teachers.”

Campions’ passion for hurling and camogie is obvious, from the famed McGrath family tree from Loughmore, while her brothers Podge and Lorcan won a Harty Cup with Our Lady’s Templemore in 2017 with Podge and younger brother John currently on the Tipperary senior panel, along with her cousins Noel, John & Brian McGrath.

“Around Mid Tipp and in Drom, the support is there for a Tipperary school to do well. While it is not an all-Tipp affair like last year, we should get that extra bit of support, and with us going for our first, everyone loves the underdog,” she said.