BY SEÁN HOLLAND
WEST CORK has forever been regarded as 'big ball country' but there’s no shortage of talent in this area with the small ball too.
Newcestown’s Luke Meade is proof that players who come from a football dominant area can make it to the very top. This region needs to embrace its love for the small ball and Meade’s success with the county team should help entice the next generation of hurlers all over the region to show no matter how big or small you are, if you want it, you can achieve it.
One man who has watched Meade’s rise to the very top is Newcestown manager Charlie Wilson, who is also an uncle of the Cork hurling star. It wasn’t always plain sailing for Meade, Wilson said, but his perseverance prevailed.
‘Luke was always one of these young fellas underage that was quite small in size, but he always made up for it with his hurling,’ Wilson explained.
‘He was very astute, very smart on the ball, and always mad, mad keen to learn and learn more. He was a small, lighter fella but he was brave, and he was gutsy. Now, he may not always have been seen from the opposition side as a threat but we always knew ourselves, the skill level that he had, his understanding of the game, and his awareness was exceptional. He has proven that more and more now as he's got going through the years,’ added the Newcestown boss.
Often overlooked, out of position on development squads, playing as a sub cornerback for the second team, Meade’s resolve never wavered. His breakthrough came when he made the Cork minors because of his impressive performances for Newcestown’s first team at just 16.
‘Growing up Luke was in development squads, but he was a sub as a cornerback for the second team. Now sometimes you can get knocked, if you're thrown out of position. Things don't appear to be going your way. But still, he was one of those individuals who stuck with it, all the way through,’ Wilson said.
‘As it happened, he made Cork minors purely because he was on Newcestown’s first team when he was under 17. He was born late in the year, which means he was only 16, and he was playing as a corner forward. Next thing, straight away, the Cork minors saw that he was playing in Newcestown’s first team and they wanted him to play as forward.
‘Development squads had been playing him as a cornerback all the way through. We would have always seen Luke as a half-back, midfielder. Yet as needs must when he was quite young, as a 16/17-year-old, we started him corner forward and he became a handful because he was so good on his feet, nippy and understanding. Even then, he was a playmaker. He was always looking for the better option. He’ll create the gap and will pop the ball to someone else,’ explained Wilson.
Meade’s story is a reminder of the hidden potential in players who might not fit the conventional mould but possess the drive and skill needed to succeed at the highest level.
‘From a development squad point of view, he was never your first pick. The same as pretty much every fella from the Carbery region now because up playing hurling with Cork, they're pushed down the line because East Cork seems to dominate and we're forgotten about. We've still got to believe that there's a chance for some young fella to come through if he wants it,’ said Wilson.
Meade’s path to success mirrors the experiences of other Cork stars who also faced similar challenges.
‘Darragh Fitzgibbon wasn't making development squads. Mark Coleman wasn't making development squads. Seamus Harnedy never made any underage team with Cork; he was first seen in the colleges in UCC and made Cork intermediates before he made Cork seniors, whereas other fellas came through minor and U21s. It just proves if you're looking for your own path, not to give up. There is a pathway and there is an opportunity.’
Meade’s rise demonstrates that with hard work and determination, the next generation of West Cork hurlers can dream big and achieve greatness, carving their own paths to success on the inter-county stage.
