Offaly hurling hero speaks of importance of life balance as he fields questions on absence from Cork game

OFFALY hurling star, Adam Screeney spoke about the importance of achieving the right life balance as he fielded questions on Wednesday about his absence from a crunch county senior hurling game a couple of months ago.

Outstanding as Offaly won the All-Ireland U-20 Hurling Championship and as talented as any Offaly hurler was at 19 years of age, Screeney missed the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship preliminary quarter-final defeat by Cork as he was out of the country on a pre-booked holiday.

Offaly competed very well against Cork before losing out and the star forward's absence was questioned by some in the county.

The call proved controversial locally but former Offaly hurling star Brian Carroll was among the few who went public with his opinion, stating on a hurling podcast that Screeney didn't get the “right advice” and his absence wasn't a “good idea”. The long serving Coolderry stalwart stated that the County Board offered to change the flights and would have paid the difference.

Carroll insisted that Screeney should have stayed for the game and said he didn't “buy into this narrative he deserves a break rubbish” and that if he did it in another county, he would be “dropped”.

Speaking at the launch of the Beko Club Champion, an initiative open to all GAA clubs in Leinster, it was inevitable that Screeney's absence from such an important game would come up.

He initially said that it was in the past and that he had not really reflected on it before bringing up Brian Carroll's comments by paying tribute to him for his contribution to Offaly hurling.

“I suppose it’s in the past now, it’s over. But, on Brian Carroll, Brian was a legend of Offaly before, wore the Offaly jersey for many years and he is entitled to his opinion and I’ve the utmost respect for that man the way he has carried his career with Offaly and I’d be delighted if I have a career like he had with Offaly.“

Asked did he regret not staying for the Cork game or would he do the same again, he said: “I suppose that is a tough question and I don’t know if I can answer that but it’s in the past now and I will look forward to the club championship."

The Kilcormac-Killoughey scoring machine added: “I haven't really got to think about it yet. I probably won't think about it for a while. I haven't really thought about it now to be honest. it's over and I'm moving on to the club championship.”

He acknowledged that there were efforts made by the County Board to get him to stay at home.

“Ah yeah, there was loads of conversations had. I just thought it was the best decision for myself.”

He was asked about the difficulty in achieving the right life balance as an outstanding hurler with being a 19 year old – he will be only turning 20 on January 20 2025 and is being asked to play senior inter-county hurling at a younger age than most of his colleagues in the strong hurling counties.

Screeney stated that a life balance outside of hurling is very important for him while he referred to the impact the U-20 campaign took on their bodies followed by the Joe McDonagh Cup final before that holiday.

“I suppose, for me, it's still very important to balance my life, in terms of what happens with hurling and what happens outside of that. Luckily enough, most of my colleagues are in the game with me. Seven or eight of my best friends are all hurling U-20 with me, and hopefully senior with me. Yeah, it is difficult but as you see, there were four of us that played the U-20 All-Ireland and then went to play the Joe Mac final and I think all four of us were cramping which is a sign that there's a lot of workload on the body. Yeah, it is tough but in fairness to the management, all the managements, they're generally very good.”

And he confirmed his commitment to Offaly, insisting that hurling will keep him at home and stop him travelling for extended periods like many in their early to mid 20s.

“Yeah, absolutely, hurling is my first love, it was always my first love and I'll do anything not to get that taken away from me. You do hear people going abroad and I suppose they like to experience different things, and nowadays there are loads of opportunities that if you finish your inter-county season early or whatever you can travel abroad for two months and be back for your (club) hurling, so I have no plans in the future to go anywhere anyway. No, hurling will definitely keep me around.”

One way of achieving that life balance away from hurling is golf. A member of Esker Hills Golf Club, he is now playing off a handicap of 8 and recently got to play at Ryder Cup venue, Adare Manor.

“I like playing a bit golf in my spare time and I was lucky enough to play there. I just went down to play in Adare with three of the lads. It speaks for itself, the Ryder Cup is there, it is an amazing course. It is definitely the best course I have ever played on.”

An arts student in University of Limerick, he hopes to lower his handicap in the coming weeks.

“Hopefully I will get down before the end of the summer. Esker Hills is my home golf course, a gorgeous golf course. It is real tricky. You can see where Shane Lowry gets it from, the way he is able to play all the shots. No matter where you hit in Esker, you will always have a tricky shot ahead of you.”

Football might be another way of enjoying himself in a less pressurised environment than hurling, where he plays every game under a weight of expectation. As a young boy growing up, Screeney was also a genuinely exciting footballer, bringing the same skill and flair to the table that he did to hurling. He won an U-15 medal with Kilcormac-Killoughey and would be a county footballer if he concentrated on that code, however, hurling was always his calling.

He does not plan on playing intermediate football with Kilcormac-Killoughey this week but could play later in the year and definitely plans on playing U-20 for them later in the season.

“I mightn't tog out this weekend but I will definitely play the U-20 championship. We won the U-15 championship when I was 15 and got to the minor final last year. We lost by a point. Again it is that crop, the group of lads who play hurling. If they turned their hand to table tennis, they would be good at it,” he joked.

Achieving the right life balance is important for him but he will also do what it takes to give himself the best chance of fulfilling his hurling potential.

An important element in this for Screeney is strength and conditioning. Slight in frame, he knows he has to bulk up for the highest level but there is a very delicate balance here as it can't be at the expense of his pace, movement and natural flair.

“Yeah, I suppose, I'm slight in frame so I suppose it is a big focus but it's a marathon not a sprint. I have good S&C lads around me and good coaches so I'll just keep listening to them and do what they're giving me and it'll work in time.

“I suppose there is an emphasis on S&C in the GAA, which there needs to be, because the game has evolved. I suppose you're all seeing Cork and Clare being able to go for 80 minutes, hammer and tongs. It doesn't happen that you just go training and then turn up for the game on the Sunday. So there is huge training involved. No, there definitely is an emphasis needed on S&C in today's game but I think there is around Offaly and it just takes time.2

Evidence of this work has been seen with him putting on 7 kilos in a year.

“From the minor final to the under-20 the following year, it was probably six or seven kilos gone up. People don’t really see it but it takes a huge lot of effort for that and it takes a lot of time.”

How did you do that?

“Different things, they all join together nowadays. Sleep and eating and gym. No, in fairness, that’s what the experts in the S&C in Offaly are there for and they are keeping you along the straight and narrow the whole time and giving you stuff to do and they’re very good and they just stick to the plan.”

Another way of reaching his potential is by being a very moderate drinker of alcohol. He initially stayed off it, only sampling it comparatively recently but he will keep it in its proper place.

“I sort of do have a few drinks now. I didn’t when I was younger. I wouldn’t be a mad drinker.”

And that is very much a conscious decision.

“The lifestyle for hurling now, you can’t really be going mad or anything. You have to learn to enjoy yourself as well. When it is time to take a break, take a break.”

The provision of a hurling wall at home has helped him and his siblings to develop their skills - older brother, 22 year old Jack has led the way, playing for Offaly seniors while a younger brother, Aaron is heading down the same path and scored thirteen points from frees in a recent U-15 hurling win over Shamrocks.

A bit of self preservation played a factor in this wall being built as Adam had a tendency to put the sliotar through windows, though it has not proven foolproof!

“Oh we have,” he said when asked about the hurling wall. “It’s a real big help. It was nearly put in to save me breaking windows because we were spending more money from me hitting the ball off the window and smashing it.

“And still to this day, only six months ago, I ended up going out before one of the matches and touching it against the wall and it hits the window and that’s it, it’s on the floor.”

He has is also learning to live life in a cockpit of local adulation and anticipation. Hero worshipped by younger people, he is admired greatly by older people, who may be sterner task masters. As such a young man, how do you cope with that?

“I suppose for 90% of people, they are really there to help you and guide you a long the way. Again I am only 19 and I am not going to know all the paths and I am going to do the wrong thing at times. For most of the people out there, they are very good to you and just guide you and help you in the right way. They are not there for any badness really.”

Click here to read article