Martin Storey's remaining ambition is to win an All-Ireland club hurling championship medal with Oulart-the-Ballagh. The club are the reigning county champions in Wexford - they have won the title three times in the past four years - and will set out in quest of the All-Ireland title in a first round match against Castletown of Laois tomorrow week.
Storey and clubmates Liam Dunne and Paul Finn were never likely to be available for Wexford's Oireachtas Cup match with Waterford in Walsh Park tomorrow evening. Running the risk of injury was out of the question. Storey and the other Oulartthe-Ballagh players have put in 69 training sessions since February in preparation for a third attempt this decade at winning the Leinster club championship. "There were weeks this year when we had only one night off training," Storey says.
Birr in 1994 (after a replay) and Glenmore (Kilkenny) the following year, shattered the Wexford champions' dreams at the provincial final stage.
Although it may border on the unthinkable to suggest it, Storey's hunger for a club medal in his 34th year possibly outstrips any remaining ambitions he would have on the inter-county front. Lifting the McCarthy Cup last year rounded off an honour-laden career that had included All Star awards in 1993 and 1996.
He has a strong affection for Oulart-the-Ballagh. "There's a great old history attached to our club," he says with deep-rooted pride. "We were represented as far back as in the 1910 All-Ireland. We had men on all of the big county teams since - talented players like Jim Lyden and the Jacobs, Mick and Christy, and Jimmy Pender. Then there was Liam (Dunne), Paul (Finn) and myself last year."
He says of the clash of county and club loyalties this weekend: "Saturday week is the only one we can worry about for the present. We beat Castletown two years ago but don't know a great deal about them other than they have five of the Laois team in their side. We are looking forward to a good run in the championship," he says.
"Training is getting harder, the hype is getting higher, you have to do more on the training field to keep that step," he contends. "I was talking to the Clare lads and they reckoned they trained harder this year than in 1995. It can be a problem discovering how much you have to do, because you don't know how much the other fella is doing. It's becoming so competitive, everybody is putting in a helluva lot more to try and keep that one step ahead," he continues.
In terms of the county training, Storey says current team manager Rory Kinsella is keeping the wheels rolling. "We are just ticking over at the moment. We are off on a holiday to the south of Spain next month and will be facing a lot of hard work when we get back.
"Our defeat by Tipperary in the All-Ireland semi-final was disappointing, mainly because we did not perform when the questions were asked. It hasn't taken away from the hype and enthusiasm for the game within the county." Storey made his debut with the county senior team when things were not so good, against Roscommon in 1985. He had just won a Leinster junior championship medal. He had well-honed skills even at that stage, and the transition from junior to senior was comparatively easy for him.
He has no difficulty in spelling out the defining moments of his career so far. "Leading Wexford to their first Leinster title in 19 years and going on to win the All-Ireland last year. Figuring in the first county senior hurling success for my club in 1994." The search continues, however, for that elusive provincial and AllIreland club medal, and Storey says he realises "time is closing in".
The first step against Castletown could be difficult enough. The Laois champions have county hurlers in their lineup, such as Owen Coss, the Cuddy brothers, David and Paul, and the O'Sullivans, John and Fionain.
