Portaferry boss O’Prey relieved to get over the line

By Shaun Casey

AS a player, Connor O’Prey won six Senior Championship titles with Portaferry, but Sunday’s final win over Ballygalget was a lot different as he was on the sideline dictating matters.

The former Down hurler took over the reins at his home club at the start of the season, when Gerard McGrattan stepped aside, and last weekend, he led the club to their first ever five in a row.

He played in two of those victories and managed the club to a third, so O’Prey has played a crucial role in Portaferry’s dominance in Down over the past half a decade.

“I’ve played in enough championships and usually you have one team winning it and then the next team comes along and wins it, then another team. So to go five in a row, it shows serious commitment and progression from this group of players,” O’Prey said.

“The experience of winning in previous finals probably got us over the line in the end against Ballygalget and to get our hands on the five in a row.”

On the difference between winning county titles as a player and a manager, O’Prey added, “The emotions of the week in itself were serious. On the pitch you can control what you are doing as an individual and control people around you if you’re given a central role.

“As a manager, yes, you can change things, but you can’t really dictate what’s happening on the pitch. You just have to pick a team that you think is capable of going out and winning.

“You can make a few changes here and there, but the sense of relief is a lot bigger than it was when I was playing. Maybe when you’re playing you want the game to go on an extra ten minutes but when you’re managing, you just want it to be over basically.”

The week leading in was a pretty crazy one and O’Prey had plenty to keep his mind occupied. “It was my mother’s 20th anniversary during the week and my oldest fella’s sixth birthday was on Sunday as well.

“There were a lot of different emotions for me during the week so to get over the line, to get into the house on Sunday night and just sit down and relax was great. We’ve ticked that box so it’s time to prepare for Ulster now.”

Portaferry await the winners of Sunday’s Antrim SHC final where Dunloy lock horns with Cushendall, and O’Prey knows they are in for a big test, whoever they meet.

“We’ll have a close eye on that match this weekend and they are two really fantastic teams,” O’Prey added.

“Obviously we have played both of them in the Antrim league and we played Dunloy in a challenge game as well, so we know that we’ll be up against it.

“I just feel that Portaferry are in a really good place and the physical intensity of the Down final will stand to us. With the round robin aspect of the championship, we were quite comfortable, so to and earn the victory [against Ballygalget], hopefully that has put miles into the legs.”