Forsaking a trip to Australia for the love of the club

Billy Ryan wasn't going on any wild goose chase.

While TJ Reid, Colin Fennelly, Joey Holden and Richie Reid of Ballyhale all headed to Sydney, Billy Ryan - another man who's club are still standing in the All-Ireland club hurling championships - stayed put in Graigue/Ballycallan. The small club from the Kilmanagh area, not far outside of Kilkenny city are on a journey this year like they haven't been on in a long time and Billy Ryan won't miss even a training session on the way. The Kilkenny intermediate championship is theirs', but there's still work to do. And though it meant turning his back on a trip to Australia for the Wild Geese classic against Galway and the holiday that followed with the county's hurlers, Billy Ryan is getting that work done.

"Billy is Billy," says Graigue Ballycallan chairman Dave O'Neill of Ryan's devotion to his club. "He informed the management  a week beforehand, he wasn't going to Australia, he was staying at home to train with the club."

The weekend just past was a gap week between the club's Leinster quarter final win over Kildare champions Celbridge and their next challenge Fethard St Mogue's of Wexford, but Ryan has tunnel vision. You could say that Graigue/Ballycallan called and Billy Ryan answered, but it was his decision and his decision only to give up the Sydney sun for the good of Graigue.

"I was happy, I would say the management were happy but nobody was surprised. That's Billy for you, he's his own man, it was his own decision - the management left it completely up to him - he made his choice and he wouldn't listen to anyone trying to tell him otherwise anyway," said O'Neill. "Listen, the amount of commitment a lad like Billy puts in - a trip like that is well deserved and obviously they don't come around too often, but I think it's fairly clear why he made that decision," he said.

Kilkenny clubs are traditionally successful in this intermediate championship and Ryan wants his club in on the party. If their year so far is anything to go by, they just need to keep on doing what they're doing.

"Ah this year has been the best year we've ever had. Between the hurling and camogie, we've won something likne nine county finals. There's an unbelievable buzz around the place," said a proud club chairman.

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"Since the club All-Ireland in 2001, there's been peaks and troughs. There's no guarantees for a small club like us but the one thing that's imperative through it all is that you provide the structures for these youngsters to improve. "We're back up to senior for next year, we've an awful lot of young lads, lads that were playing under-6s 12 years ago. The success has happened overnight in the space of 12 years," he joked.

And they're not finished yet.