Change is good for Quins and Gash

Just as records are made to be broken, winning streaks are there to be shot at, as Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ of 2003/04 will testify. The senior ladies of Cork Harlequins know this feeling only too well, as they go in search of a 15th consecutive Munster league crown; no-one wants to be associated with the team that fails to keep the run going. On the flipside, it certainly serves as a fine motivating factor. Quins were pushed harder than ever last season by UCC, who did the double them over the league and finished the regulation campaign on level points at the top of the pile. But come title playoff time, it was Quins who shone; a nerveless 3-2 victory proved they were still Munster’s masters.

You’d think, therefore, that for an incoming coach, such a backdrop – not to mention an aging squad – would represent a daunting challenge. But Eddie Gash, on board as a replacement for Clive Seale in the dugout, is looking at the bigger picture. Gash sees a side that is “in transition, to a certain degree”, and his top priority is ensuring Quins build a side good to enough to achieve down the line as well as in the present. Given the age profile of the Quins team, that will mean blooding plenty of youngsters this season, but it’s a challenge he appears comfortable with. “We’ve had a settled squad for the last couple of years, but this season there’s a bit of a turnover, which necessitates bringing in some players to the club and (promoting) talented younger players,” he explains. “I’ve watched the team closely over the last couple of years, and I’ve worked with a lot of the junior players at interpro level, so maybe I’m in a good position to facilitate that transfer of some of the younger players into the squad.” Gash certainly has a firm handle on who’s who in the schools and underage scene in the province, cutting his coaching teeth as he has with the Munster U16 girls interpro team as well as winning a Munster Senior Schoolgirls Cup with Bandon Grammar last term. That means looking to continue the upward mobility of Leanne Mullins, Yvonne O’Byrne, Emily O’Leary and Jennifer Murphy, who all saw first-team action last season. Gash has also pulled off a notable coup in securing the services of this season’s Munster U18 co-captain, Thurles girl Edwina McGrath, while the younger duo of Leanne Mullins and Acacia Taylor are names to watch in the coming seasons. And Gash is already seeing the upside of putting faith in youth. “When the younger players come up to train it adds a bit of spice and challenges the more established players,” he says. “And they in turn are learning so much from the older ones in terms of skills and attitude to training. It’s a great environment to coach in.” Certainly, Quins are by no means about to abandon their silverware ambitions to give youth its head just yet; no team with 300-plus caps worth of international experience in the form of Eimear Cregan, Karen Bateman and Cliodhna Sargent down its spine would have that. But their coach forsees increased competitiveness this year, on both the domestic and national fronts, particularly with international commitments likely to curtail Cregan and Sargent’s involvement week-in, week-out.

“It’s going to be a very difficult league this year, which will make it exciting for the players and for me as well,” says Gash. “You see Bandon reaching a Munster Senior Cup final, C of I are always very strong and organised, UCC of course took Quins to a playoff last year, and hockey in Limerick is getting stronger – there are a lot of underage internationals coming out of there.” Having surprised everyone except themselves by reaching the Irish Hockey League playoff stage last year, presumably that competition is also a priority? “We’re in quite a difficult pool, in that a lot of teams will fancy their chances,” admits Gash. “Having won Leinster last year, Railway would be favourites to progress, there’s another difficult away trip to Ballymoney, plus a local rivalry with C of I to add a bit of spice to it.” Only recently retired from playing at the top level himself, Gash knows what it takes to win; he is one of a select group in Munster to have an Irish Senior Cup medal from the modern era, that success coming with Quins in 2006. Despite admitting the head coach’s role at Quins has come around sooner than he thought, Gash says he’s looking forward to challenging himself and his players this season. All in Munster will be keen to see how he gets on.