CELEBRITY FANS: FERGUS SLATTERY, Auctioneer, 61, Hockey
When did you become interested in hockey?It started with an uncle of mine, Paddy O'Brien, who played hockey for Dalkey and Weston. He brought me to the Isle of Man Hockey Festival when I was at Blackrock. I went to it three or four times in the mid-'60s. That's when I first played hockey; the only times I played hockey until I stopped playing rugby.
What prompted you to take it up again?Probably one of my last seasons with Blackrock, I was talking to the guys on the first 15, saying, "Jeez, what are you going to do when you retire, when you stop playing"? They all said, "Oh, I don't know. I'll play golf or whatever". I said I was thinking of playing hockey. Well, they all broke out laughing.
I started playing hockey with Aer Lingus for a Taverners’ team. A few of the guys in Blackrock who were in that dressingroom laughing started to play Taverners’ cricket, and then, the idea of playing hockey was only a small step away. We started up a Blackrock hockey team. We play out of Railway Union.
Who do you play against?There are about eight senior clubs in Dublin who play an unofficial men's veterans' hockey league, which is played between September and April. Blackrock have been putting out a team for about 20 years. Five or six years ago I decided to open up the idea to any ex-rugby player to play with the Blackrock team so quite a few playing with us now are from different rugby clubs.
What kind of player do you look for?The concept is you're over 35; that you played rugby at some stage. We're always on the look out for players. It's idiot proof.
What other ex-rugby internationals play?Frank Ennis from Clontarf started playing with us this year. Ian Burns from Wanderers has been playing with us for four or five years.
How do ye fare against players who have been playing hockey all their lives?We tend to try a bit harder and close the gap between skill level and basic mediocrity. We make up for it with a bit of exuberance and passion. We would win as many matches as we lose. The big advantage for us, as ex-rugby players, is you're guaranteed a match. I can't remember the last time a game was cancelled because of bad weather. You get the odd call from some idiot who'll say, "It's been milling rain all day. Is the match still on?" You have to remind him we're playing on an all-weather pitch.
So is your own hockey technique of the agricultural variety?No – I play with finesse and style.
What's the difference between playing rugby and hockey?You can't compare. I regard hockey as being the same as soccer except you play with a stick. The principles are the same – put the ball in the back of the net. There have been rule changes in recent years – there's no offside now, and with the put-in from the sideline, you can tap it to yourself . . . so it's a pretty simple game. Unlike rugby, it's very uncomplicated.
How can you manage to still hare around a hockey pitch in your 60s?It's all relative. No matter what age you are – 60, 50, 40 – the most important thing is to do a warm-up before and a warm-down afterwards.
What's frustrating about the game?Like with any team sport, the thing that frustrates players is their own players. Some guys give 100 per cent and some 60 per cent.
What do you love about it?It's a skill-based game, but if you ignore that it's good craic, there's lots of running and it's clean. It's played under lights. You can put it into your calendar for the winter months and know there's a match.
