“When I was there, I gave it my all and I enjoyed every minute of it. I had a good relationship with all the players and I have seen three or four managers come and go. They all had the same ambition I had and that was to progress Waterford football and try to win something. We didn’t win any silverware but we certainly promoted Waterford football.”
Square one signalled a bleak beginning. Aged 18 and still in St Augustine’s, he commenced his championship quest against Cork in May of 1999. The hosts were murdered in Fraher Field (3-23 to 0-4), with the newcomer managing Waterford’s solitary second half score from a free two minutes from time. His long running crusade consisted of lifting performance levels, improving results and altering attitudes towards the team both inside and outside the county.
At a towering 6 foot and 4 inches, he boasted size and strength but also subtlety and a lethal left boot. He alternated between midfield and full forward; excelling in both positions. Only three championship wins arrived out of 24 appearances. He faced Cork four times and Kerry on three occasions. They ran the Kingdom close at Fitzgerald Stadium in 2006 (0-16 to 0-8). He still settled for 6-37 in championship football. After fifteen seasons of campaigning, the Déise are now stretching upwards rather than staring blankly into the abyss.
The wear and tear ultimately turned his mind towards retirement. Restricted by back and neck injuries, the Ballinacourty veteran took a brutally honest assessment when the shutters cascaded on the season. “Every player knows himself when it is time. Even during the year itself, I had picked up a lot of knocks and a lot of niggles. To be honest about it, there is no better feeling that going back in January to give another hard slog and compete in the championship. I just felt that the body wasn’t there. As a player, you have to make that decision yourself. Every time you go out, you have to do your best. And you feel that if you can’t go out and do your upmost best for the team and you’re not able because of injury, it’s not fair on everyone else. For me, injury was going to be a problem this year. It was last year. I reckon without the injuries or if I was a small bit better maybe we could have changed the result down in Galway.”
He also contemplated the long term damage of continuing on. “There is a life after GAA as well that I had to look at. I’m very active and I have been very active from a young age. I want to be able to do something after it and I think that if I stayed on for another year, I could have jeopardised that.”
2010 ushered deliverance. Six wins and two draws yielded overdue promotion. In their final day win over Clare (0-20 to 2-5) at Fraher Field, Hurney kicked seven points. It teed up a bonus trip to Croke Park against Limerick but silverware eluded them by two (1-16 to 1-14). He scored 2-6 in the subsequent championship. “2010 was obviously our best year,” the 33 year old says unequivocally. “It probably took me eleven years to get to that. I dreamt of the day of playing in Croke Park for the Waterford footballers. I don’t think on the day that we let ourselves down, we played very well and we were unlucky. Over the years, we have been very unlucky with certain decisions. That would have been one of my major highlights.”
Other rare days in the sun come flooding back. They spoiled the promotion party for 1/50 favourites Cavan at Breffini Park in the last round of the 2006 league. Man of the match Hurney notched two points. “That sums up John Kiely and what he has done for Waterford. If it is one thing that the man has, he tries to get the best thirty lads to play football in Waterford. That’s his first goal and his second goal is to make everyone enjoy it. He made us all feel ten foot tall and made us believe in our own ability. John read out the programme before the game and he had nothing else to say really. It just shows that the ability is there.”
Erratic results irritated however and held the team back from building a head of steam. “Our major problem over the years was consistency and getting back to back results. We kind of struggled with that. Around 2008, 2009 and 2010 we really got consistency in our performances. We were going for promotion in all of those years. In 2010, we got it. Everyone knows what happened in Division 3. We were very unlucky, it came down to the last game and we lost out.”
He represented Munster in six Railway Cups (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013). “Any chance you get to put on the royal blue jersey, you take it. It’s great for the Waterford lads to see a guy out there representing the county. It’s not just myself but there’s been five or six others that have been there and won medals. It’s a massive honour.”
As Abbeyside’s stock rose in the local hurling market, Hurney dabbled in the inter county game and made six championship appearances (four starts and two substitute outings). In 2008, he scored a point in Justin McCarthy’s last game in charge versus Clare and a goal in Davy Fitzgerald’s debut scalping of Antrim. Hurney also sampled a slither of action in the historic All Ireland semi final that year. The number eighteen replaced Jamie Nagle on 69 minutes. “It was a big choice at the time because I was senior football captain and Justin had asked me in. I quickly made up my mind. In fairness to Justin, he let me plug away with the two and it was probably difficult to do it. Getting to the All Ireland final in 2008 was a massive boost to the county. I’ll never forget the feeling after winning the semi final against Tipperary regardless on or off the pitch. The whole county was buzzing. Unfortunately, the day itself and the All Ireland didn’t go our way but I still won’t forget the feeling after the semi final.”
After almost sending tremors through the championship from Salthill last summer, Hurney believes that Division 3 status is attainable in 2014. And in Paul Whyte, provider of eight points on that sodden July afternoon, the team appear to possess a natural successor to steer the attack. “Paul is a young guy and a fantastic footballer but I hope that he doesn’t have to take the whole load on his shoulders. I see that JJ Hutchinson is back on the panel and Brian Wall is staying on for another year and he will show great leadership to the young players. For the team to progress and perform, you need your stars but you certainly need all of the team rowing in. If that’s happening and the work is being done at the back, Paul and the others will find their scores a lot easier. I have no doubt this year that their goal is to get out of Division 4 and Niall and the lads will leave no stone unturned.”
Jackson frequently publicised Gary’s gifts and he offered the following reference in 2008. “Gary Hurney - where in Ireland would you get a fella 6’4" and 15-and-a-half stone, absolutely fearless, great pair of hands, impossible to dispossess, solos as if the ball was part of his anatomy and kick passes the ball brilliantly?” The giant of the big ball in white and blue was one of a kind.
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