JERRY Ryan has a habit of carrying his boots and hurley to games, just in case.
His playing days are long over, or so he thought.
But one month short of his 62nd birthday, Jerry made his comeback for Ballinascarthy’s junior B hurlers on Sunday night.
When the SOS call went out after Bal corner forward Joe Bishop was injured in the first half against Kilbrittain and they had no subs to call on, Jerry – full back on the Carbery team that won the 1994 Cork SHC title – answered.
Bal played the rest of the opening half with 14 men, but at the break they introduced their super sub, dressed in brown cargo shorts but with years of experience as a hurler and a manager; he was also a Cork selector under Denis Walsh. Jerry went into goal, replacing his son Joe who then went outfield.
‘He was angling to play outfield but an executive decision was made!’ Joe laughs – and his dad’s dramatic comeback at 61 could lead to a few headaches in the Ryan household in the weeks ahead.
Joe is manager of the Bal junior hurling team that has won back-to-back Carbery Junior A hurling titles and will be targeting the three-in-a-row this season, so is Jerry the secret weapon?
‘There were a lot of short puck-outs being employed,’ Joe quipped, politely quashing any notions his dad might have after Sunday night’s cameo.
While Kilbrittain edged an epic, 5-12 to 2-15, rumour has it Jerry’s puck-out stats were actually quite impressive, as he played his first competitive game in over a decade.
Bal also thinks Jerry – who has also managed both the Carbery hurling and camogie teams, amongst many more – has broken the club record of oldest player, as Teddy Holland was 57 when he won a junior D football title with the club.
Another side note is that Jerry got to play with his nephew Connall Cullinane (20) on the same Bal team, as well as share the pitch with Joe again.
The question now is will JC O’Flynn, the boss of Bal’s junior B hurlers, tempt Jerry out of retirement for the rest of the season? Negotiations are ongoing.
