Belvedere ready to bounce back

The rebuilding process is a constant thought in the mind of any coach, but for Bryan O’Donovan it will be the primary focus as he steps into the hotseat for the Belvedere ladies firsts.

Last term proved to be a turbulent one for the Ballincollig-based club. On the men’s side, years of being hammered by the big clubs and a high rate of player turnover saw the first team demote themselves to Division Two.

They were subsequently followed by the ladies’ first XI, who were relegated during the regulation season, having picked up just five points in 14 games.

Lady luck wasn’t on their side – Ashton had finished bottom of the pile the previous term, but stayed up as no team from Division Two wished to be promoted. But next time around, a Waterford side eager to eat at the top table won out in the second tier, and Belvedere had to take their medicine.

Belvedere's new coach Bryan O'Donovan with his wife Anne, a former captain and one of the side's key players as they begin life in Division Two.

The club therefore finds itself in the unfamiliar position of being without a team in the top tier of either the men’s or women’s leagues, but new coach O’Donovan sees plenty of reasons for optimism.

“A tough season was had last year, having lost eight players from the season before,” he explains. “Demotion, while never pleasant, is probably a good thing, to help rebuild our squad and improve the confidence of our ladies.

“The mood in Belvedere is optimistic, and we are looking forward to working on building a squad, from our core group of players and hopefully attracting new ones who would like the challenge of getting our ladies back up to the premier division over the next few years.”

O’Donovan, who has been coaching at the club since 2005, says he places a great emphasis on team-work with all his sides, and is looking forward to blending youth and experience.

While numbers continue to be a problem on the men’s side at the club, Belvedere mirror a healthier general trend on the girls side, despite not having a traditional feeder school, with Coláiste Choilm and Mount Mercy in particular providing a steady stream of players.

“My aims are to perform as well as possible in Division Two, and hopefully be a difficult team to compete against,” offers O’Donovan.

“Morale would be one of the most important aspects to work on; I believe confidence is very important and when a player lacks it, it can affect their game. I want to build a squad that has a strong will to win, but also work on fitness and skills.”

O’Donovan is complimentary of the youth work that is ongoing in the club, while he also notes that the club may be able to exploit the popularity of camogie and soccer among girls in Ballincollig, given hockey is played in the off-season for both sports.

There’s a significant carrot for the squad further afield, with all now eligible for the Munster junior side, while on a national level, the club have every reason to be confident of having a serious crack at the Irish Challenge. In any case, O’Donovan is looking to the future with a smile on his face.

“Short-term, I would look to attracting possibly experienced players who may not want to play senior level any more with their current club, and combine these players with our existing squad and youths,” he says.

“Long-term, we aim to regain premier division status, be it one year or five years, but when this happens I hope to have the team who can compete against the larger clubs in Munster.”