Jermyn sets his sights on the Olympics

Last weekend the Irish men’s hockey team finished fifth at the field hockey equivalent of the European Championships. They missed out on qualification for the 2012 London Olympics by a single place and beat Spain, the fifth ranked team in the world. A crucial part of that side, midfielder John Jermyn, told Brian Hayes Curtin how they have been able to beat the best in the world and why he is sure they can qualify for the Olympics.

In Ireland we take great pride in sport and in particular, our world-class athletes like Roy Keane, Sonia O’Sullivan and Rory McIllroy. For some like Derval O’Rourke, the limelight turns onto them only briefly, when an Olympics or European Championships takes place. Others, like McIllroy or Keane live in the full glare of publicity all the time.

And then there are those who labour away, train like professionals and achieve greatness without many people knowing about it at all. Their greatness is shrouded in obscurity, their abilities are not diminished by that, but without the oxygen of publicity, it seems like they receive scant recognition for their efforts and abilities.

What motivates such athletes, what drives them on?  It isn’t the money, it isn’t the fame, so what else is there? Is it simply the challenge of taking whatever gifts you were given and maximising what you have? Of trying to challenge the best in the world and sometimes beating them. 

Last week two Cork hockey players were called ‘world class’ by the Dutch hockey coach Paul Van Ass, whose team are ranked fourth in the world. Former Cork Harlequins goalkeeper David Harte was one, and Church of Ireland clubman John Jermyn is the other.

“It was very gratifying to get a compliment from a coach of a team of the quality of the Dutch,” he said modestly. During the tournament the short corner specialist reached 71 goals for Ireland, only eight short of Stephen Butler’s record. “It would be a nice to tick off the list,” he says, “but my major goal in hockey is to qualify for the Olympics. If the record comes along the way, that would be great.”

The Irish team were unlucky to lose 4-2 to the European champions England and played a classic encounter against the Netherlands losing 7-4. They beat France 2-0 and Russia 8-2, before saving the best for last to beat Spain 3-2 and finish fifth, matching their highest ever finish in 1995. This is an Irish side that can beat the best in the world. 

“Yes, it’s very exciting and we genuinely believed that we could win. I think there is a strong possibility that we could qualify for the Olympics in the Olympic Qualifying tournament, which will be on in the spring,” he said.  

“It was always going to be difficult against England and Holland, but we are on the up now and pretty confident.”

It’s not easy being an amateur athlete but trying to prepare to play against professional athletes, as many of the top sides are. There is a huge time commitment involved in playing for Ireland. 

“In the build up to a major tournament, I’d spend two nights a week in the gym, one night on the pitch in Cork and then drive up to Dublin for training for the weekend,” he explains. All told, that’s six out of seven days spent doing something hockey-related. 

The Irish players receive no money or mileage playing for their national team. Many hours have to be taken off to play in tournaments and get to training in Dublin at the weekend. 

“I have to take quite a few half days and holidays and my employers, Ronan Daly Jermyn Solicitors have been so understanding in giving me the time off,” he says. The forward reckons that there are only three or four of the men’s national team in full employment. The rest are students or are full time hockey players playing abroad, primarily in the Netherlands.

“Qualifying for the Olympics would be huge for hockey in Ireland and hopefully it would increase its status as has happened with Irish cricket over the last few years. I’m disappointed that we didn’t qualify this time,” he says. 

Since 2002, when the Corkman started playing senior international hockey, he says “we always been close to the level of the top teams but we proved it by winning a five nations tournament in Paris this summer.” 

The Irish team, now ranked 17 in the world, beat world number six Korea and number 11 Argentina, as well as France. They won the tournament ahead of world number one Australia. 

He says that the team gained huge belief from the knowledge that they could beat the best in the world. They now have huge confidence that they can go out and beat anyone that they play against. “The psychological difference has been massive for this team, we believe that we can match up against the best.”

The Irish women’s hockey team have pursued a controversial centralisation program for players, which encouraged players to move to Dublin and join clubs there, so they could train centrally in Dublin. This has had the effect of weakening clubs in Munster and Ulster. 

When they meet Dublin clubs in the Irish Hockey League (IHL), they often come up against their own player, now playing for a Dublin team. The Irish women’s results have been disappointing and they finished sixth, narrowly avoiding relegation from the A Division. 

It seems like the men have gotten things right. Their strategy has around 90 per cent of the men’s playing hockey abroad in Belgium, England and primarily, the Netherlands. There they play against the best players in the world every week. There has been a serious upturn in the Irish men’s results over the last while. 

The solicitor is quick to give great credit to Ireland’s South African coach Paul Revington too. “He has successfully created the conditions needed for success, despite an extremely limited budget. He is doing a great job.” 

Fellow Irish international Eugene Magee played minor hurling for Antrim. “I’ve seen him puck about a bit and I think he made the right choice to stick with the hockey!” he laughs.

Unfortunately for the Cork hurlers, John went to secondary school in Ashton where there was not much hurling and hockey was the main sport. He says that if he had gone to another school, he’d “have given hurling a go because it’s a great spectator sport”. 

In the meantime, John Jermyn will concentrate on getting the Irish hockey team to their first Olympics since 1908.