Galway’s Martin Mulkerrins may be better-known as a 40x20 player but scratch the surface and the Moycullen man’s pedigree in the big alley code is not too shabby either.
The 27-year-old is preparing for his first senior final in the larger court and, asked how he has elevated his game, he says there is no mystery to it.
“There are probably a few things at play. Often, I would be going to the US Nationals and other tournaments, I play One Wall as well. There were years there that I actually didn’t play the big court, I was gone to Texas one year and New Zealand another year so I missed the season entirely,” Mulkerrins told GAAHandball.ie.
“I would have got up to senior in the small court at 19 when I won the intermediate but it was 2017 before I won the intermediate in the big court, I was 24.
“A bit of it was that I wasn’t getting to compete in as many competitions. The back story to all that was that although we did a lot of preparation for minor finals back in 2010 and 2011, I won it back to back, we had to go to Williamstown which was 100 miles round trip and we were doing that two or three days a week. We had an outdoor 60x30 in school in St Mary’s but for indoor, it was tricky.
“We didn’t have our own court so another big factor now in the last two or three years is that we have our own state-of-the-art big court in Moycullen so I’m not having to go 100 miles round trip to get a game or just step in an indoor big court.”
Last year, Mulkerrins landed the 60x30 Nationals Open Singles title, claiming the scalp of Eoin Kennedy along the way, but the Dubliner turned the tables in the All-Ireland semi-final with a 21-16, 21-10 win. Still, Mulkerrins showed at the Nationals that he had the game to challenge the big alley superpowers.
“I went down to Wexford last year, I didn’t really know what to expect. Any tournament I go to, I go to participate, yes, but I’m always entering to win as well so at the same time, I wasn’t going down to Wexford saying ‘Jesus, I’m not going to win this’.
“It was obviously a very tough draw, Eoin was on my side and I had to play a lot of players on the same day. That result was definitely an indicator but he turned it around a few weeks later in a more important game in the championship.
“I looked at that game briefly, it was hard to look at it, but I had a great start in that game. The difference maybe was a bit of experience on Eoin’s behalf, he slowed it down and stopped my momentum early on and seemed to distract me from what I was doing well. That changed the game and he played very well after that and then had an unbelievable win in the final.
“I think I have learned from that this year, it’s different to the small court where you can break momentum with timeouts. I learned from that experience. Last weekend I was going well and something similar happened, Barry Goff slowed down the game and the second half of the second game was a bit of a dogfight but in the end I ground it out.
“Would I have preferred if it was the way I was playing in the first game and a half? Yes but Barry played well and changed the game and played well so I was just glad to come out the right side of it.
“I think last year with Eoin stood to me because even though what Barry was doing was working to a degree, I didn’t let it cost me the match.”
Mulkerrins has been pushed close in the championship to date, coming through some seasoned opponents, and feels he is battle-hardened coming into the final.
“I look at it from a positive point of view in terms of getting tough games. I had a tough game in the Round of 16 against Michael Gregan, it was 15 and 14. That game was played at a very fast pace, aggressive type handball.
“Against Joe McCann then in the quarter-final, I lost 21-20 in the first game. Joe played very well, he was going for his kills and they were coming off. What I am taking from some of the games is that when I am focused and able to impose my game, I have been able to put guys under pressure. I have just been focusing on myself and what I have been doing well and I’m trying to do more of that.”
While competitive activity ceased entirely during lockdown, in a way it benefitted Mulkerrins as he got time to recuperate from a niggly knee injury.
“It’s been a challenge for everybody and a major challenge for handball as an indoor game. My knee had been giving me trouble since March and I was just resting that and doing gyn work to build it up during lockdown.
“When the opportunity came to go back in to the court, I started off nice and steady with short sessions and then built it up over time and started playing games with my brother Diarmuid.
“I think the lockdown might have helped me with my knee because there was no temptation to play US Nationals or One Wall Nationals, really the knee needed a chance so on the positive side, it worked out and the knee got the rest it needed.”
A win on Saturday would see Mulkerrins join an exclusive club of players who have won senior titles in 40x20, 60x30 and Wallball. Is that ‘career slam’ something he has considered?
“I never thought of it, I just play it as it comes. Myself and Diarmuid have always been good supporters of big court, I know it is difficult to play all the codes because it is a packed Clár. We always enjoyed big court, the two of us won the Minor Singles. I had made an U16 final years ago against Dean Corrigan as well so we always played it.
“Fair enough, we might have prioritised small court because that was what we had in Moycullen but it was always an aim and a dream to be in a 60x30 final and win one.
“I want to win in every code that I play. If that’s a clean sweep, so be it but just to win the game on Saturday is all I’m focusing on, that is going to be a big challenge. The main thing is to get that result.”
Standing in his way is seven-time winner Robbie McCarthy, who has been in awesome form of late.
“There’s no doubt about it, Robbie is the raging hot favourite. Any 60x30 final I’ve ever attended was Robbie McCarthy and Eoin Kennedy and it’s testament to both players that they’ve dominated for so long. Robbie has won it seven times before, he’s been in all those finals against Eoin…
“We have played very little big court against each other. We met in an early round in 2018 after the Worlds, I hadn’t a whole lot done but I gave a pretty good account of myself in the first game in that match.
“But this year, my preparation is at a far better level in the big court. There are lessons from the other matches that I have to take on board and improve on. I feel like I have been training well and improving but this is another step up and I’ll have to take the opportunities when they come, serve well, kill well. He is that good, especially inside, if he’s left there with his dump shots, he will punish you. My shot selection will have to be in tip top shape.
“I am just focused on what I have to do, I’ve looked back on videos of some of the games I’ve played and I’m just taking insights from that.”
By Paul Fitzpatrick
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