200 and counting for Ormond skipper Kevin O'Flaherty

When Kevin O’Flaherty leads Nenagh Ormond out onto the pitch at Thomond Park on Sunday, he will be entering the third century of appearances for the club.

By Shane Brophy

The Burgess native reached the milestone 200th cap against Old Belvedere in the AIL at the start of the month, amassed over thirteen seasons.

“I got lucky,” the 32-year-old second row admits as to his ability to play regularly over the years.

“Touch wood, I haven't had any major injuries, a couple of shoulders, but that is the nature of the game, so the big thing is making sure that you get through your physio when you do need to do it and don't go back too early.”

O’Flaherty came through the underage ranks at Nenagh Ormond before being handed his senior debut at the age of eighteen with a former Ireland international saw the talent he had.

“Trevor Hogan approached me to start training with seniors,” he revealed.

“Trevor, obviously being such an inspirational figure, I couldn't say no to so that is where it started, and I got my first cap at eighteen and I haven’t looked back from there.”

Things started out well at senior level, winning an AIL Division 2B title in 2014 and they were a stable team in the third tier until around five years ago when the sceptre of relegation was a real possibility before the pandemic that was Covid-19 came to their rescue.

“Covid stopped us from getting relegated,” O’Flaherty admits as that campaign was cancelled with Nenagh in the relegation spots.

“You still have a good bulk of that squad have stuck together and stayed here, and obviously the sad passing of Keith (Hayes) in 2022. He was the driving force behind this whole thing, we came together as a club, and we wanted to literally just do it for him.

“We pulled the one-club motto from his passing, we all said we’d pull together. In fairness to John Long (Director of Rugby), he brought in a good coaching ticket that we have had over the last three years. They're driving the standards, and we're bringing a few new people in from other clubs. They have restarted the U20s which is massive, you have four or five players capped this year from the 20s, and when you can get that transition from juvenile into the senior and make that easy, you're under onto a winner.”

O’Flaherty was part of the team two years ago that fell to a last gasp defeat to Young Munster in their first ever Munster Senior Cup final appearance. One wondered had Nenagh missed their chance and when would they get another opportunity but the experience and learnings from that night have been put into practise since.

“Two years ago, we were the underdogs and Derek (Corcoran, Player/Head Coach) told us before the game to go out and play without fear, and we did that. We scored off a lineout from a play we made up the week before where we’d try to catch them out and it did.

“We knew we would have to score tries to be sticking with them.

“We now have a squad that can finish games, whereas we were probably two or three short two years ago that did tell in the last ten minutes between fitness and relying on certain players.”

He added: “I’m not guaranteed my place on the team and that is the way it should be. If you're running a good squad, no one should be sure of their jersey because if they are they are not putting it in training, which we always do, we beat each other up of a Tuesday, but it's all for the greater good.”

A second ever Munster Senior Challenge Cupfinal is the first of what they will hope will be successful end to the season when barring a calamity, they will be in the promotion playoffs to division 1A of the AIL. And to the players, what they have achieved so far hasn’t come as a surprise admits the Nenagh skipper.

He revealed: “We set out our goals at the start of year, and a lot of people might think we were mad that we set out to go on a Cup run and be as competitive as we could be in 1B, so we targeted top 4, which all going well, another win or two will be guaranteed.

“The culture we are after building, it’s something that wasn't there when I started so everyone is very appreciative of all the fans that come to our games, they come here, they go to Belfast, and they will come in their droves on Sunday. They did two years ago.”

Nenagh Ormond’s history is storied, particularly what they have done since the turn of the millennium and Kevin O’Flaherty is embracing the opportunity that is ahead of the team.

“You have to allow yourself to think about it about because you have to enjoy the whole week and the build-up,” he says.

“Twenty years ago, we won the Munster Junior Cup and that still is one of the biggest things in the club's history, so if you're able put your name into the history books in the Senior Cup, and if we win, we’ll be playing in the Bateman Cup next year, which is take on the Cup winners in Leinster, Connacht, and Ulster.”