Winter training. I love it. The first week of January, or at latest the second, sees nearly every GAA team in Ireland return to the local field to start the hard slog. They arrive filled with hope, eager to atone for the previous year's underperformance or build on its successes. In modern Ireland (apologies, had to get it in somewhere) where the town centre pitch was sold off to a property developer for millions of euros, many a player will pull into a plush new complex kitted out with floodlit pitches, maybe even an artificial one if they come from a particularily affluent town. Alongside that will be a cosy bar, a hall and corridors full of dressing rooms.
Not in Kinsale though and thats the way I always liked it. We have a pitch in the town, some small dressing rooms and a couple of dim lights. As you pull into the car park its difficult to make out the new faces in the dark. Everyone shuffles into the changing room quickly to stay out of the bitter cold and whirling wind. You can hear the jovial banter from a long way off and no doubt you will be the victim of some of it when you pass through the door.
The dressing room is heaving with anxious bodies, all waiting for the inevitable pain they are about to be put through. The core is familiar to you but there are others sprinkled into the mix. The young fellas, its their first winter and they are bursting with energy and enthusiasim. There are the heroes who have returned from the sabbatical and exile of the previous year, but a few other heroes are marked absent. The auld lads huddle together to try gee eachother up for another year and then the holler comes from the pitch.
GAA players don't do tracksuits so well and so the men march into the night's claws with just shorts and a battered jersey to protect them. The pitch is laden with long grass but it only masks the muck and sh1t which meets your studs upon its landing. The next hour and a half is pain. Running, running and more running. Long, hard, unforgiving runs. Silence accompanies the darkness and the far off cones or flags can just about be seen. Some lads burst out of the traps like men possessed. Others are minding themselves, hiding in the pack. Its these lads annoyed me most. You'd burst a gut all night and then on the last run they would pop the cork and unleash the energy reserve.
At every break in the action, there are men sprawled everywhere. Steam rises from their bodies as they gasp for air. Follow the roar into the darkest corner and you will see fellas disposing of their dinners. Its character building, team building. For me this is where you do the work and build up the stamina that you will need four or five months later, even longer if you are successful. Remembering the pain and sacrifice in the winter always drove me on.
Tonight, the group of 2009 trained for the first time in the British School's indoor hall. The shortage and cost of outdoor facilities mean its not possible so this is what we have to play with. The session was open to both hurlers and footballers and lasted one hour. Ladders, core work and sprints is all we can manage in the space alotted to us but thats fine.
The scene differs greatly from the one set at the beginning of this piece. Its difficult to mirror it outside of your own club for many reasons which I will explain in a future installment. The hall is bright and warm but far more uncertainty exists. You're never sure of what you'll have when you're dealing with expats. Some will have moved on from the previous year, others will have arrived. The transition can never be smooth but its the same with all the clubs in Europe. You play the hand you're dealt. Its makes it hard to set goals. Still, we must put the European Championships on our radar in both codes. Its the only way we can improve on last year. It is a massive ask but we have taken the first steps on the journey and will proceed with hope and determination.
We'll keep the atmosphere calm for the first couple of weeks to ease lads back in. Some are not used to/are not here for the hardship of true winter training. But as the weeks go by we'll move up the gears and we will be ready for our first tournament at the end of March.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Dubai - The Last Word
I have returned to the Capital of Europe after a grueling journey through the night. Fortunately I did not have to work today but I have total respect for the lads who went straight in on Monday. It must have been a punishing day for them. I left Conor, Becky and Dec behind and they will return tomorrow.
Now its time to wrap-up the Dubai adventure and turn our attentions to the 'local County fixtures' which will commence in a months time. I'll take this last opportunity to reflect on our few days in the desert.
DUBAI 7'S COMPETITION
Our Hosts
Their organisation was all in all pretty much spot on. They had all the transport sorted out and had appointed one person to be the contact for each team. They gave us a detailed pack with all the info required on bars, restaurants etc. On the pitch I wouldn't have been a massive fan but that may have been compunded by the fact we felt the refereeing had let them away with some questionable fouling in our Semi-Final. Off the pitch they pretty much kept to their own. We are familiar with this behaviour in Europe though as the host team tend to be like this most places. I give them the benefit of the doubt and understand because it was their home tournament, they are not just with their team but instead are with their broader Irish community and so it is too easy to settle into that group rather than mingling with your opponents. In terms of their club membership, we were told it can be 100+ with 60+ Men and Women attending training on a given night. Big club.
The Venue
It was fantastic. Its 50km outside of Dubai and totally surrounded by desert. I think I counted 5 pitches plus a 50,000 capacity temporary stadium. They put it up for this year's Dubai Rugby 7's and are keeping it until after they host the Rugby 7's World Cup in March. Then, it will be just whipped away. Milan used it as their winter training base a few weeks ago and I think played Hamburg in the stadium.
The clubhouse is fantastic with plenty of showering facilities and a well priced bar. The ground is hard but has sufficient cover of green grass to ensure the body can manage. They pay €20,000 per year to rent it, which handily is the same as their sponsors Dubau Duty Free give them. It seems that they have some wealthy benefactors who slip them 4k or 5k per year also and that allows them cap their Membership at €40. Crazy money in comparison to the shoe string budget our club is run on.
The 7's Competition
To be honest, it was a bit disappointing. We only had two group games on Day 1 and a Semi on Day 2. 6 teams competed in the A competition and they split us into two groups. However, in the B competition there were also 6 teams but they all played eachother once, giving them 5 group games. My suspicion is Dubai wanted to compete as best as possible in both A Hurling and Football and thus limited their number of games. It was disappointing not to get more match time and if we had known we would have entered the hurling from the start.
As for 7's itself, I don't think I like that either!! The game is too short and if you concede an early goal the opposition can easily keep the ball away from you by using their goalie wisely and thus ruin the game as a spectacle. Still these kind of tactics could stimulate you as you look for different ways of taking advantage and seeing how to outwit the opposition. Maybe we'll give it another rattle in Kilmacud.
Anay Rios
It was pointed out via someone else that I never mentioned that Anay came and played football. Anay is Spanish and only took up the game last year but still won player of the tournament in one of her first attempts. She is energetic and tenacious and obviously has taken a liking to the game seeing as she traveled with boots but no team.
She played with one of St. Catherines (of Cork's) teams. The first comment she heard from the coach would be one familiar in many a GAA club but not something you would hear outside the GAA too often; 'Don't be burning yerselves out at the football, we came to win the hurling!' were the coaches instructions, or something along those lines.
Her team got to the semi-final and Anay played a big part in it. I saw a bit of her games on Day 1 and she got on the ball a good bit, picking off a nice point in the process. She was probably not greedy enough as those around her were not up to scratch. You could see her teammates appreciated her though by the way they welcomed her when she arrived for the semi-final. I think she enjoyed the tournament and I'm sure she will try and drive things on for Dubai 2010.
DUBAI
The City
Its like fantasy land with two high-rise city centres linked by a barren enough road. They seem to build big buildings just because they can and have a fascination with reclaiming parts of the Gulf to build extravagent islands. There is an abundance of shopping malls scattered around the place. In terms of commerce, they group the companies by sector and create district like areas to host them i.e. Media City hosts CNN et al. It has so much space there is no limit to what they can do in the future.
There are no homeless people floating around nor or there any dodgy characters (except filthy rich ones). Yet, there are billions of guys working on building sites and in the service industry who definitly could not afford the local rental prices. It seems. having sat in rush hour traffic one evening that they bus in and out their labour.
Nightlife
All the bars are inside hotels which is a bit strange but when you are inside you would notice no difference. In fairness we did not see a whole lot of it but you sense that it thrives in the city. On the Monday, we went down to a bar by the marina and it was a class spot. Most places have large outdoor terraces with ocean views. It beats Flagey on a January night anyway.
Cost
Food is very reasonable in the city and you can get whatever you want without breaking the bank. They practically give water away there and even the beer in the pubs isn't over the top. I think the most I paid was €6 or €7 a pint. Given the 'chicness' of some of the places we were, it was definitly cheaper than other similiarily trendy places i.e. Paris or Marbella.
Taxi's are dirt cheap. It really is ridiculous. I think it cost me €10 to go 35mins to the airport last night. All the taxi's are metered and you don't have the gangsters with whom we waste many a Saturday night arguing with in Brussels. So, once you can sort reasonable accomodation Dubai is much more reasonable than we expected.
Laws
You hear alot about how strict things are and whilst I wouldn't chance pushing it too far, you don't feel like your behaviour is being restricted. We drank away and caused our share of devilment without bother. Some of the strange rules include not being able to live with your partner unless you are married and not being able to have drink in your appartment without a
license. However, given we saw only one police car in six days, I don't know who polices it!
Luxury Hotels
I had one night in the five star Jumeriah Beach Hotel. It was an amazing place with unbelievable service and all your needs accomodated for. However, there is something that always makes me uncomfortable about these places. It doesn't matter how much money you have, you don't need someone to press the button for the lift or put your towel on the deckchair. And if you do, you should at least spare a thank-you. For me, you pay for the facilities, the service in the bar/restaurant, the comforts of your room and that kind of thing. But get your own lift, throw your bag over your shoulder and have a bit of self-respect!
TEAM TRIPS AWAY
Normally we either travel to & from a tournament on the same day or arrive late the night before and depart early on the Sunday. As a result we only ever have time for football/hurling and drinking. We have a tight group but as I may have mentioned before we are very much our own men and have other social outlets outside the group.
So this was really our first time away together. Despite a challenging travel schedule, one horrendous hangover day and some frustrating performances on the pitch, our bond, if anything has only strengthed. We saw different sides to some lads. For instance, Kevin walking hand in hand down the beach revealed a sensitive side that none of us ever saw. On the other hand aome lads are teh exact same i.e. oin who is obnoxious during the restricted times we have to deal with him, maintains this behaviour over a longer period! We are certainly a mixed bag but football brings us together and guys look after eachother.
IS IT DU-BYE FOREVER?
Who knows. I think everyone who went had a blast. Its a mind blowing place and to be there with such a big group of friends, having both a sporting and social purpose really made for a good trip. The tournament will take place again next year but someone will need to drive it.
My idea would be to try and get enough to travel to represent all codes in our club. We could then hold a couple of fundraisers during the year to fund it as well as opening up a bank account where interested people could put in €30 or €40 a month to save up during the year. I think the girls will want to come and they may provide the energy to get the rest onboard.
Finally, I should again thank (on behalf of the whole team) Becky for her sterling organisation and patience, as well as Conchur who manged to get 11 lads booked up in two days! It would not have happened with out ye.
Now its time to wrap-up the Dubai adventure and turn our attentions to the 'local County fixtures' which will commence in a months time. I'll take this last opportunity to reflect on our few days in the desert.
DUBAI 7'S COMPETITION
Our Hosts
Their organisation was all in all pretty much spot on. They had all the transport sorted out and had appointed one person to be the contact for each team. They gave us a detailed pack with all the info required on bars, restaurants etc. On the pitch I wouldn't have been a massive fan but that may have been compunded by the fact we felt the refereeing had let them away with some questionable fouling in our Semi-Final. Off the pitch they pretty much kept to their own. We are familiar with this behaviour in Europe though as the host team tend to be like this most places. I give them the benefit of the doubt and understand because it was their home tournament, they are not just with their team but instead are with their broader Irish community and so it is too easy to settle into that group rather than mingling with your opponents. In terms of their club membership, we were told it can be 100+ with 60+ Men and Women attending training on a given night. Big club.
The Venue
It was fantastic. Its 50km outside of Dubai and totally surrounded by desert. I think I counted 5 pitches plus a 50,000 capacity temporary stadium. They put it up for this year's Dubai Rugby 7's and are keeping it until after they host the Rugby 7's World Cup in March. Then, it will be just whipped away. Milan used it as their winter training base a few weeks ago and I think played Hamburg in the stadium.
The clubhouse is fantastic with plenty of showering facilities and a well priced bar. The ground is hard but has sufficient cover of green grass to ensure the body can manage. They pay €20,000 per year to rent it, which handily is the same as their sponsors Dubau Duty Free give them. It seems that they have some wealthy benefactors who slip them 4k or 5k per year also and that allows them cap their Membership at €40. Crazy money in comparison to the shoe string budget our club is run on.
The 7's Competition
To be honest, it was a bit disappointing. We only had two group games on Day 1 and a Semi on Day 2. 6 teams competed in the A competition and they split us into two groups. However, in the B competition there were also 6 teams but they all played eachother once, giving them 5 group games. My suspicion is Dubai wanted to compete as best as possible in both A Hurling and Football and thus limited their number of games. It was disappointing not to get more match time and if we had known we would have entered the hurling from the start.
As for 7's itself, I don't think I like that either!! The game is too short and if you concede an early goal the opposition can easily keep the ball away from you by using their goalie wisely and thus ruin the game as a spectacle. Still these kind of tactics could stimulate you as you look for different ways of taking advantage and seeing how to outwit the opposition. Maybe we'll give it another rattle in Kilmacud.
Anay Rios
It was pointed out via someone else that I never mentioned that Anay came and played football. Anay is Spanish and only took up the game last year but still won player of the tournament in one of her first attempts. She is energetic and tenacious and obviously has taken a liking to the game seeing as she traveled with boots but no team.
She played with one of St. Catherines (of Cork's) teams. The first comment she heard from the coach would be one familiar in many a GAA club but not something you would hear outside the GAA too often; 'Don't be burning yerselves out at the football, we came to win the hurling!' were the coaches instructions, or something along those lines.
Her team got to the semi-final and Anay played a big part in it. I saw a bit of her games on Day 1 and she got on the ball a good bit, picking off a nice point in the process. She was probably not greedy enough as those around her were not up to scratch. You could see her teammates appreciated her though by the way they welcomed her when she arrived for the semi-final. I think she enjoyed the tournament and I'm sure she will try and drive things on for Dubai 2010.
DUBAI
The City
Its like fantasy land with two high-rise city centres linked by a barren enough road. They seem to build big buildings just because they can and have a fascination with reclaiming parts of the Gulf to build extravagent islands. There is an abundance of shopping malls scattered around the place. In terms of commerce, they group the companies by sector and create district like areas to host them i.e. Media City hosts CNN et al. It has so much space there is no limit to what they can do in the future.
There are no homeless people floating around nor or there any dodgy characters (except filthy rich ones). Yet, there are billions of guys working on building sites and in the service industry who definitly could not afford the local rental prices. It seems. having sat in rush hour traffic one evening that they bus in and out their labour.
Nightlife
All the bars are inside hotels which is a bit strange but when you are inside you would notice no difference. In fairness we did not see a whole lot of it but you sense that it thrives in the city. On the Monday, we went down to a bar by the marina and it was a class spot. Most places have large outdoor terraces with ocean views. It beats Flagey on a January night anyway.
Cost
Food is very reasonable in the city and you can get whatever you want without breaking the bank. They practically give water away there and even the beer in the pubs isn't over the top. I think the most I paid was €6 or €7 a pint. Given the 'chicness' of some of the places we were, it was definitly cheaper than other similiarily trendy places i.e. Paris or Marbella.
Taxi's are dirt cheap. It really is ridiculous. I think it cost me €10 to go 35mins to the airport last night. All the taxi's are metered and you don't have the gangsters with whom we waste many a Saturday night arguing with in Brussels. So, once you can sort reasonable accomodation Dubai is much more reasonable than we expected.
Laws
You hear alot about how strict things are and whilst I wouldn't chance pushing it too far, you don't feel like your behaviour is being restricted. We drank away and caused our share of devilment without bother. Some of the strange rules include not being able to live with your partner unless you are married and not being able to have drink in your appartment without a
license. However, given we saw only one police car in six days, I don't know who polices it!
Luxury Hotels
I had one night in the five star Jumeriah Beach Hotel. It was an amazing place with unbelievable service and all your needs accomodated for. However, there is something that always makes me uncomfortable about these places. It doesn't matter how much money you have, you don't need someone to press the button for the lift or put your towel on the deckchair. And if you do, you should at least spare a thank-you. For me, you pay for the facilities, the service in the bar/restaurant, the comforts of your room and that kind of thing. But get your own lift, throw your bag over your shoulder and have a bit of self-respect!
TEAM TRIPS AWAY
Normally we either travel to & from a tournament on the same day or arrive late the night before and depart early on the Sunday. As a result we only ever have time for football/hurling and drinking. We have a tight group but as I may have mentioned before we are very much our own men and have other social outlets outside the group.
So this was really our first time away together. Despite a challenging travel schedule, one horrendous hangover day and some frustrating performances on the pitch, our bond, if anything has only strengthed. We saw different sides to some lads. For instance, Kevin walking hand in hand down the beach revealed a sensitive side that none of us ever saw. On the other hand aome lads are teh exact same i.e. oin who is obnoxious during the restricted times we have to deal with him, maintains this behaviour over a longer period! We are certainly a mixed bag but football brings us together and guys look after eachother.
IS IT DU-BYE FOREVER?
Who knows. I think everyone who went had a blast. Its a mind blowing place and to be there with such a big group of friends, having both a sporting and social purpose really made for a good trip. The tournament will take place again next year but someone will need to drive it.
My idea would be to try and get enough to travel to represent all codes in our club. We could then hold a couple of fundraisers during the year to fund it as well as opening up a bank account where interested people could put in €30 or €40 a month to save up during the year. I think the girls will want to come and they may provide the energy to get the rest onboard.
Finally, I should again thank (on behalf of the whole team) Becky for her sterling organisation and patience, as well as Conchur who manged to get 11 lads booked up in two days! It would not have happened with out ye.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Day 6 - Nearly time to say Dubye!
We missed the lads terribly today. The poor devils are well and truly back into the work at this stage and I can see via facebook they long for the Gulf! I was up and at em early, a little shook from the previous nights pints but nothing a quick dip in the sea wouldn't sort out.
It was all about the beach today and getting as much sun on the back as possible. Bull went off for a gallop but myself, Dec and Becky favoured our sun chairs. When he came back he was eager to get a boat trip out around The Palm and over to The World. Himself and Becky were quoted some ridiculous amount for such an excursion the previous day and it was too rich for my blood. So I headed off down to the hotel's marina and enquired about the possibilities. Normally I was told, its 800 funny money for one hour "but for you sir, i give for 500 funny money and 1.5hrs. Special price" I lapped up the feeling of importance, shook hands on the deal and went off to round up the troops. On my way I passed by the price list which quoted 500 funny money for one hour and suddenly I felt a bit done.
Our transport was a powerful enough little speed boat and our captain, a knowledgable Sri Lankan man. However, he was going to get more than he bargained for from Becky who wasn't letting him off the hook with any fibs! The guy was brilliant in fairness, always stopping the boat for good photo opportunities and giving us all the info we needed. I was sitting by the bow and loving it as we burst through the choppy water. I grew up by the sea but never really got out on the water enough. When I go anywhere now though, its a must do activity, stimulated no doubt by land-locked city living.
We went out around The Palm and you got a much better feel for its shape from the water than you did from the car. Onwards into the Dubai Marina which sits in the shadow of many a tall building. After that we were whisked over to The World. There is practically nothing to see there as construction has only just really starter. Great trip though, you can't beat the freedom you feel out at sea.
When we came back Bull had sussed out the story with the Burj and found out we could get in at 17h30. We hopped into a golf kart outside the hotel and headed speedily in the direction of the famous building. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed. Structurally its unreal but there is only so much you can do with the lobby of a hotel. We did go up to the viewing area which was cool even if the evening haze had set in.
Back to Mall of Emirates then for a bit of shopping. Dec had moved on to The Dubai Marina Hotel (long story) and Becky and Conor were taking a snowboarding lesson in the Mall. I had my eye on a few shirts and the lady was so nice I came away with a pair of cuff links and a silk pink tie as well as three shirts. More importantly, I broke my blue shirt monopoly. They won't recognise me at work next week.
On then for the shoes. I'd be pretty conservative in this department but fought hard to break free of the shackles. I had two lads helping and they were on the ball saying all the right things. They loved the Irish, those shoes looks great business or casually and of course they had special price for Mr. Dave. Only 349 funny money. Again, even though the price was on the bottom and both pairs came to 349. Good lads though. The Mall is open from 08h to midnight every day and is jammers all the time. Madness. No obvious recession here.
I'm sitting in the hotel room now waiting to hit the road. I'll depart around 12h30 for my 03h00 flight. I should be back on Rue Frans Binje by midday tomorrow all going well. I'll spend the flight trying to edit down the mountain of video I have, down into a watchable 30 minute DVD. I have some time alloted for another Blog entry during the Istanbul stop-over. But for now its good bye Dubai, who knows, our paths may cross again.
Day 5 - Living it Up
THE VIEW FROM MY ROOM ON THE 12TH FLOOR
With the Dubai 13 now the Dubai 4, it was time for us to check-out of our hotel and head for the Jumeriah Beach Hotel (JBH). The place is unreal, its 5 star and looks directly out on the Burj, probably the most famous hotel in the world. The JBH has 22 restaurants and bars, a marina, an unbelievable fitness area, numerous floodlight tennis courts, a climbing wall, and numerous other impressive facilites.
Also, Wild Wadi, the 'must see' water park attraction, is onsite. After a quick bit of grub with Dec, we hunted down Conor and headed for the slides. There was just three rides of note. The first and best one was built for speed. I don't know how high up it is but its prett high and takes nine seconds to go from top to bottm at a top speed of 80km per hour. It has one major dip in it and just before you get to it, you get a bollick load of water in your face so you don't know to expect it and then it drops and you feel like you have lost contact with the slide before returning to a more acceptable incline. Hairy enough. Deccie was trapsing around like it was his first time out of theWest of Ireland. He had the sandles in hand and the glasses on throughout. A sight to behold.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach looking out on the Burj and the Arabian Gulf. It must have been in the mid-twenties today and was very bearable for our pasty white skin. As the sun begins to set here, the temperature drops considerably, so at around 17h we called it a day. We headed back to the rooms to chill out for a while before meeting in the lobby at 19h. Next stop was the Mall of Emirates, apparently the biggest shopping Mall outside of America. The hotel runs a mini bus to and fro so that was handy.
The place is huge with too many shops to comprehend. The most impressive feature is the indoor ski slope. The thing is massive and covered in snow. Its totally surreal. There are about five different passages down and we stood watching a fair few novices roll instead of ski down the slope. The Bull is on about getting a beginners hour before he goes back but he'll be on his own I'd say.
Breaking from the Irish abroad traditions, once we got back to the hotel we agreed to head to one of the local hot spots. The Barista bar is located in The Meridien Hotel, is set at the foot of a cluster of sky scrapers and looks out on The Palm. Just after midnight, we were joined by some of the Nordies who had had the same idea as us. The banter was a little subdued as everyones batteries are running low. We hopped in the Taxi just after two and were in our beds by half past.
Not before I had a chance to quickly scan the web for news of the Cork Hurlers statement though. I have not had the chance to go into the details of it but it looks another serious blow to the chances of a resolution. At this stage, it is hard to know who is telling the truth but the hurlers are being a complete pain in their arse. There can't be any doubt that they want to pick their own manager. They have said they want to meet all the club chairman, an effort to rally support for their fight against the County Board. Given how quiet they have been in recent weeks, one presumes they have spent the time canvassing and that they feel they have sufficient support for their cause. I think todays newspaper will be my reading for the Dubai Istanbul leg of the journey home.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Day 4 – Recovery Session
The lads all had to check out this morning so were leaving the bags in our room. Their ranting woke me at about 10h30 and I had an awful tired head on me. They were debating about the days activity, some decided they would go quad-biking whilst others were opting for the safari. First stop though was the beach and it seemed a tolerable place to recover from the previous days exertions.
Eoin was at his ignorant best, winding up Ana and then Kevin. The beach was deserted but we did have some good banter with two Phillipino lifeguards. One of them had a few well rehearsed lines of Irish as well as a keen interest in Irish politics, claiming Gerry Adams was a personal acquaintence. We must have spent two or three hours there and then everyone headed back to go off to their various activities. Myself, Rochey and Emmett got a taxi man to take us on a tour of Dubai. We covered 130km over nearly three hours at a cost of fifty euro. Well worth it but we all needed a snooze at various stages.
Then it was back to the hotel and I got a second wind when Micheal mentioned going to Fibbers to watch the rugby. Whilst waiting we tried to make a dent in our beer stock which is proving difficult to wear down. Taxi then to Fibbers and an extra cold pint of Heineken to get things motoring. The boys started to wake up and the pints were to our liking. The clock was ticking on them though as they had to leave for the airport at 01h. Just before they hit the road Dec and Conor arrived. I gather Conor had delivered an inspirational speech to Dec to get him out of his slumber to go to the pub.
I was having good craic with my new best friend Philly Ryan. He is Manager of the Clonmel team this year and he relived a few tales from his playing days as well as declaring that he wasn’t into all this sports science sh1t. We agreed there was still a place for the long hard slog but that games based training was the way forward. Good man, hopefully we will see them in Brussels in the future.
The tiredenss started to eat away at me and I made an executive decision and decided to hit the road after midnight. A pit-stop in KFC’s and then taxi back, i arrived just before the rest of the group departed. So all that remains is myself, Dec, Conor and Becky. Tomorrow we head for the Jumeriah Beach Hotel for a couple of chilled days in the sun.
Day 3 - When football goes bad....
Due to popular demand I’ve decided to cut my night short to come home and write the blog. Actually, once Philly Ryan bailed I decided to jump ship too. What a legend of a man. He’s been playing Senior Football for Clonmel Commercials for 24 years and I’d say he played with Tipp for the last 19 years. His boyos came over for the weekend and drank the sh1t out of it. They were mostly auld seasoned footballers, accompanied by some younger pretenders to their crown. You could tell they were quaility but the booze levelled them off. Sound men though.
I’m writing this Day 3 report on Day 4 due to the excessive nature of yesterday afternoon’s activities. I’ve just left Conchur and Dec in Fibbers to come home and see off nine of our group. They fly at 03h30 this morning and will be at their desks by 11am in the morning having had a brief stopover in Istanbul.
But back to Day 3. Our alarms went off at 8am and it was fairly obvious early on that the demeanour of the group had taken a turn. There seemed to be some jetlag in the bones and the banter was more than subdued at breakfast. Our bus was due at 09h and our first game was planned for 10h20. As the minutes ticked by the tension mounted and our preparation time reduced. The fun bus eventually arrived and got us to the pitches twenty minutes prior to throw-in. Everything felt a bit rushed but we did have enough time to go through the usual routine.
We expected a tough game off Dubai and we were proved right from the first whistle as they broke straight up the field. They should have taken at least a point from this foray but instead fumbled the ball over the endline. Playing into a shtiff breeze, we couldn’t gain possession of the ball. On the few occasions we did, they were on top of us straight away with some strong tackles. I think Micheal had one chance from a placed ball but that was it in the opening half.
‘Don’t stop believing’ had been blaring from the clubhouse all weekend and its words also decorate the Dubai Celts Rugby jersey. Given the end of season heroics of 2008, we could easily accept it as our half-time motivation. Such a theme gave me hope that we could salvage it in the second half but it was not to be. They had watched us the previous day and countered our tactics well. For instance, we favoured the quick, short kick-out, but all of a sudden the balls started disappearing from behind the goals and our game was slowed down. Eoin Sheanon had clearly been earmarked and his man might as well have been given a saddle such was the treatment he received.
In the end I think the score was 0-5 to 0-0 although the ref gave them an additional point because when we were making an inter-change, our player had not left the field before his replacement had come on. On the day, we could not begrudge them victory. It was very disappointing however as we have quality footballers in our squad, but we just did not perform. Tiredness, jetlag, lack of familiarity with the nuances of the 7’s game could all be plausible excuses. Still, Dubai were strong, agressive and direct, and when you get ahead in 7’s its very hard for the opposition. In the final they lost to Carrigtwoill, an average enough Junior Football team in Cork. Carrig had beaten Abu Dhabi in their semi by a point and the fact we had accounted for the Dhabi’s easily enough in the group indicates we were not too far off the pace.
Lads were very disappointed after but we went about trying to enter any possible competition to try salvage some pride. Abu Dhabi pulled out of the Hurling Plate semi so we requested to take their place against Civil Service. After a scurry around for helmuts, hurleys and Belgium hurlers we found seven men to represent our parish, city and country.
We played into the wind and the ‘Service’ took it by the scruff of the neck early on. I think it was 2-4 to 0-2 at the interval but we were confident enough turning to play with the wind. Micheal scored a good individual goal and I picked and pulled to grab another. However, at the other end, jigsaw, aka Emmett Devine, went to pieces in goal and let in a couple. In the end we lost by a few points. In fairness though, I’ve never seen Civil Servants work so hard and they deserved their victory.
So we were done and dusted by early afternoon and up to the bar we went. We grabbed a few beers and sat outside watching the remaining games unfold. There was alot of messing going on, some of it involving Kevin Keary and Colin Byrne’s chest hair. Kevin is unlikely to repeat the action anytime soon.
Once the games and presentations were over we headed back up to the bar and the live band kicked into action. Belgium and the Tipp boys stormed the dance floor and got the party rocking. I think I did more damage to myself dancing then I did on the field as I went over on my ankle. Onto the bus we went at around 21h with the destination Fibber Magees via the hotel to drop the bags. Our nordies were on board again and a mighty sing song ensued. There was always at least two songs on the go at all times and I don’t think any was finished. The lads started to try and wind up the Nordies with a rendition of Royal Brittania followed by a chant of, ‘If ya don’t live in Ireland clap your hands’. They were well able though and relations were not damaged.
Fibbers is a small enough Irish bar and with all the teams onsite we pretty much filled it. The craic was mighty but tensions began to increase. As the single men amongst the travelling party went about getting to know the fine ladies of St. Catherines and all the others, the non-singles amongst the group went about a savage sabotage campaign. Possibly the worst was Kevin Keary who stayed one step ahead of Eoin and ensured his chances were nullified before he could even say his name. I was ready for home when Conor arrived with a tray of Jagerbombs. They were just what was need to recharge the batteries. As I have tried to explain to young Rochey, they bring a certain tranquility to an evenings drinking and are a fantastic stimulus for further activity. Myself and Emmett thought it was such a good idea we headed for a couple more at the bar.
There was food had along the way too. Myself and Dec chose the Kentucky Fried Chicken option. I ordered mine and went off to the toilet. When I came back I tucked into some of KFC’s finest chicken strips. They were very spicy though and much pepsi was needed to stop my head exploding. I got to the last piece before I felt the need to inform Dec and when I did he nearly fell off the chair. When I had gone to the toilet, he had changed my order to extra spicy. Well played.
When we got back to the hotel the buzz was still in the air so we headed to Room 702 for a night cap. Vodka, Gin, Jager, Tsintao were just a selection of the beverages that we could choose from. A few of the Nordies joined us and the craic was maintained admirably. Approaching 06h, Gearoid called downstairs to ask if the pool area could be opened. As I may have mentioned, its on the hotel roof and has a fantastic view of the city. A small shallow pool and a hot tub are the extent of the facilities and it was bitterly cold. It was to be our last act and those who were left standing retired to their beds shortly before 07h. A heroic days drinking and messing and I’m sure many a tale will be revealed in the coming days & weeks.
I’m writing this Day 3 report on Day 4 due to the excessive nature of yesterday afternoon’s activities. I’ve just left Conchur and Dec in Fibbers to come home and see off nine of our group. They fly at 03h30 this morning and will be at their desks by 11am in the morning having had a brief stopover in Istanbul.
But back to Day 3. Our alarms went off at 8am and it was fairly obvious early on that the demeanour of the group had taken a turn. There seemed to be some jetlag in the bones and the banter was more than subdued at breakfast. Our bus was due at 09h and our first game was planned for 10h20. As the minutes ticked by the tension mounted and our preparation time reduced. The fun bus eventually arrived and got us to the pitches twenty minutes prior to throw-in. Everything felt a bit rushed but we did have enough time to go through the usual routine.
We expected a tough game off Dubai and we were proved right from the first whistle as they broke straight up the field. They should have taken at least a point from this foray but instead fumbled the ball over the endline. Playing into a shtiff breeze, we couldn’t gain possession of the ball. On the few occasions we did, they were on top of us straight away with some strong tackles. I think Micheal had one chance from a placed ball but that was it in the opening half.
‘Don’t stop believing’ had been blaring from the clubhouse all weekend and its words also decorate the Dubai Celts Rugby jersey. Given the end of season heroics of 2008, we could easily accept it as our half-time motivation. Such a theme gave me hope that we could salvage it in the second half but it was not to be. They had watched us the previous day and countered our tactics well. For instance, we favoured the quick, short kick-out, but all of a sudden the balls started disappearing from behind the goals and our game was slowed down. Eoin Sheanon had clearly been earmarked and his man might as well have been given a saddle such was the treatment he received.
In the end I think the score was 0-5 to 0-0 although the ref gave them an additional point because when we were making an inter-change, our player had not left the field before his replacement had come on. On the day, we could not begrudge them victory. It was very disappointing however as we have quality footballers in our squad, but we just did not perform. Tiredness, jetlag, lack of familiarity with the nuances of the 7’s game could all be plausible excuses. Still, Dubai were strong, agressive and direct, and when you get ahead in 7’s its very hard for the opposition. In the final they lost to Carrigtwoill, an average enough Junior Football team in Cork. Carrig had beaten Abu Dhabi in their semi by a point and the fact we had accounted for the Dhabi’s easily enough in the group indicates we were not too far off the pace.
Lads were very disappointed after but we went about trying to enter any possible competition to try salvage some pride. Abu Dhabi pulled out of the Hurling Plate semi so we requested to take their place against Civil Service. After a scurry around for helmuts, hurleys and Belgium hurlers we found seven men to represent our parish, city and country.
We played into the wind and the ‘Service’ took it by the scruff of the neck early on. I think it was 2-4 to 0-2 at the interval but we were confident enough turning to play with the wind. Micheal scored a good individual goal and I picked and pulled to grab another. However, at the other end, jigsaw, aka Emmett Devine, went to pieces in goal and let in a couple. In the end we lost by a few points. In fairness though, I’ve never seen Civil Servants work so hard and they deserved their victory.
So we were done and dusted by early afternoon and up to the bar we went. We grabbed a few beers and sat outside watching the remaining games unfold. There was alot of messing going on, some of it involving Kevin Keary and Colin Byrne’s chest hair. Kevin is unlikely to repeat the action anytime soon.
Once the games and presentations were over we headed back up to the bar and the live band kicked into action. Belgium and the Tipp boys stormed the dance floor and got the party rocking. I think I did more damage to myself dancing then I did on the field as I went over on my ankle. Onto the bus we went at around 21h with the destination Fibber Magees via the hotel to drop the bags. Our nordies were on board again and a mighty sing song ensued. There was always at least two songs on the go at all times and I don’t think any was finished. The lads started to try and wind up the Nordies with a rendition of Royal Brittania followed by a chant of, ‘If ya don’t live in Ireland clap your hands’. They were well able though and relations were not damaged.
Fibbers is a small enough Irish bar and with all the teams onsite we pretty much filled it. The craic was mighty but tensions began to increase. As the single men amongst the travelling party went about getting to know the fine ladies of St. Catherines and all the others, the non-singles amongst the group went about a savage sabotage campaign. Possibly the worst was Kevin Keary who stayed one step ahead of Eoin and ensured his chances were nullified before he could even say his name. I was ready for home when Conor arrived with a tray of Jagerbombs. They were just what was need to recharge the batteries. As I have tried to explain to young Rochey, they bring a certain tranquility to an evenings drinking and are a fantastic stimulus for further activity. Myself and Emmett thought it was such a good idea we headed for a couple more at the bar.
There was food had along the way too. Myself and Dec chose the Kentucky Fried Chicken option. I ordered mine and went off to the toilet. When I came back I tucked into some of KFC’s finest chicken strips. They were very spicy though and much pepsi was needed to stop my head exploding. I got to the last piece before I felt the need to inform Dec and when I did he nearly fell off the chair. When I had gone to the toilet, he had changed my order to extra spicy. Well played.
When we got back to the hotel the buzz was still in the air so we headed to Room 702 for a night cap. Vodka, Gin, Jager, Tsintao were just a selection of the beverages that we could choose from. A few of the Nordies joined us and the craic was maintained admirably. Approaching 06h, Gearoid called downstairs to ask if the pool area could be opened. As I may have mentioned, its on the hotel roof and has a fantastic view of the city. A small shallow pool and a hot tub are the extent of the facilities and it was bitterly cold. It was to be our last act and those who were left standing retired to their beds shortly before 07h. A heroic days drinking and messing and I’m sure many a tale will be revealed in the coming days & weeks.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Day 2 – And the games begin...
Last night was spent fairly sensibly in the Irish Village. Its basically an Irish pub, quite small inside but with a massive outdoor terrace. We eventually bundled a few tables together and got some food. As is typical of travelling abroad, the barman was from the same town as Gearoid so they exchanged the usual banter. There was a good buzz about the place and temptation to let go was substantial. To save face, we all noddingly agreed we shoud get a good night sleep to recover from the long journey. It was only when I got into the taxi I realised the Irish Village had a substantial sized tennis stadium above it. It plays host to a big tournament mid-February. Its the kind of thing which seems to be typical of our host city.
The alarms went off just after 7am the next morning and we all filtered down for breakfast. It was grand, beans, scrambled eggs, porridge and that kind of thing. We met our liason from Dubai in the lobby and she ushered all onto the bus. It was like something you would expect to see in India and they squashed is in as you would have expected. We were joined by a ladies football team from Down and together with them and our bags, there was little space for twitching. The journey was about forty minutes and it took us out of Dubai in the direction of Al Ain, deep into the desert. Our co-travellers were all a little worse for wear after a session the night before but we were kept amused by Eoin and Olof’s arguing.
As the bus pulled into the venue you couldn’t but be amazed. In front of us were four pristine pitches, a stadium and a large clubhouse, all smack bang in the middle of the desert. Its the venue for the Dubai 7’s Rugby and will host the Rugby 7’s World Cup next year. It must have cost a fortune to rent for the weekend. The schedule was not kind to us as our first game was scheduled for 12h40 against Abu Dhabi. We were joined in our group by Clonmel Commercials, a Senior Football club from South Tipperary. We ambled between pitches and conserved enery for a few hours. When gametime rolled around we were all eager for action though.
We started the first game with the following team; Emmett, Davy, Keary, Rochey, Olof, Eoin and Micheal. Abu Dhabi would be much better versed in the 7’s game so we knew we had to be on the ball from the throw-in. They travelled with two teams and their A team which we were to play had the look of reasonably conmpetent footballers. We got the start we wanted with Micheal and I think, Eoin kicking a couple of points. Rochey and Keary were bursting through lads early doors and Keary topped it with a ‘lob’ of the keeper from forty yards. I think Mr. Gill kicked a second half point as did Rochey. Bar the odd hairy moment around our goal, which Emmett dealt with well, we controlled the game. The need for regular rotation of the subs was obvious early on and Conchur, Dec and Colin all saw plenty of gametime and contributed well. I was quiet enough and my one venture forward into enemy territory finished with a lame enough attempt for a point. The final score of 1-5 to 0-3 was deserved and the relative ease at which it was achieved allowed us keep the injured Gearoid Sayers in reserve.
A lengthy break followed and the temptation for some of us to join ranks with Abu Dhabi hurlers was too much to resist. We bolstered their squad for their make or break assignment against Dubai B! Myself, Micheal, Eoin and Dec all honoured their green jerseys and despite some rust we aquitted ourselves ok and contributed to Abu’s one point victory which qualifies them for a semi-final tomorrow against Dubai A. We all came through pretty much unscathed but i did have the pleasure of one of the Dubai apes breaking his hurley across my shins.
Clonmel Commercials were next and victory would seal our qualification to the semi-final. They were big men and with the former Tipp goalkeeper Philly Ryan (?) minding the net, we expected a tough game. Our tactics were simple, use our speed to change the focus from physical battle to something more suitable for men of our size. Again Gearoid stayed in reserve but there was the odd positional change. We lined up as follows; Emmett, Rochey, Keary, Olof, Michael, Davy and Eoin. Playing into the wind we started well with Eoin and Micheal getting a point and goal respectively. Then Eoin’s diminutive full-forward partner found his shooting points and kicked a truly marvelous score. Dec burst through soon after and had eyes only for the top corner but unfortunately the ball did not cooperate and he only succeeded in sending the little Indian lad behind the goal scampering into the desert to gather the ball. Conor de Barra was next to eye-ball our friend Philly but his piledriver went just over the bar.
The second half saw our opponents come into the game with their tactic being to drive long ball into Keary and his taller opponent. We didn’t give him the required support and this route certainly led to one goal. Still, with the aforementioned diminutive corner forward getting a taste for kicking scores, the Belgians would take control. First came another fine point as he briefly toyed with a Clonmel defender before despatching the ball over the bar and well into the car park. Minutes later he galloped through but maybe waited a moment too long before realising Micheal for a goal chance. It gave Clonmel the time to get back and bundle up the Duhallow man but not enough to stop him returning the ball to the aforementioned diminutive corner forward, who cooly placed the ball in the bottom corner. The final whistle soon followed and Niall Barrett of Carrigtwoill declared the European Champions 2-7 to 2-0 winners. Gearoid was joined by Colin Byrne on the sidelines as he picked up a knock in the ribs earlier in the day. Hopefully both will recover enough to play some part tomorrow.
The results mean we top the group and will now play Dubai A tomorrow who were runners up to Carrigtwoill in their group. They look a formidable side and the fact they have something like six teams competing shows their strength in depth. We will have to be on our game.
We returned on the fun bus with the Down ladies, who were in much better form. A couple of hairy incidents involving the bus driver trying to grab some shuteye mid-journey kept things lively. Once we got back it was straight to the pool to watch the sun come down on the day and toast our victories with some dodgy Chinesse beer. The pool played able substitute to the ice baths. It was flipping freezing.
Dubai continues to baffle me. On the roof top pool, you listen to the mosque doing its thing, look at the futuristic buildings scattered along the skyline and watch the sun disappear behind the desert. After a quick sprucing up we scattered off to different destinations. I headed to a large shopping mall around the corner with a few of the lads and we found a well stocked food hall which catered for all our needs. This was followed by a bit of shopping. The prices aren’t so different. Suits and shirts seem to be good value and i picked up a phone for half the price I would have in Brussels.
We are back in the hotel/appartment now and we are not sure what to do for the night. There is a social in the Irish Village but the weather has taken a turn and given its an outdoor venue we might skip it and put the feet up and sup a few beers. Tomorrow we play Dubai at 10h20 so pick-up is at 9am. As I said, they will be strong and we will need to up it another level from todays performance. We generally improve with each game of a tournament so hopefully we can follow that curve tomorrow. We hope Gearoid can play, we’ll need his strength and powerful running. A couple of us are suffering a bit of back pain from the hard ground but we should be ok.
So far the organisation has been top notch. Only thing we could have done with was maybe a couple of more games. An explanation of 7’s rules would have been handy too i.e. you take kick-outs from your hand! The 7’s game itself is tough. Its played on a full size rugby pitch which makes for alot of hard running. To some extent positions go out the window and its all about following the one man. Playing in defence is a nightmare due to all the space in front of you. It certainly isn’t my favourite variation of our sport but you wouldn’t expect anything to be normal in this city.
The alarms went off just after 7am the next morning and we all filtered down for breakfast. It was grand, beans, scrambled eggs, porridge and that kind of thing. We met our liason from Dubai in the lobby and she ushered all onto the bus. It was like something you would expect to see in India and they squashed is in as you would have expected. We were joined by a ladies football team from Down and together with them and our bags, there was little space for twitching. The journey was about forty minutes and it took us out of Dubai in the direction of Al Ain, deep into the desert. Our co-travellers were all a little worse for wear after a session the night before but we were kept amused by Eoin and Olof’s arguing.
As the bus pulled into the venue you couldn’t but be amazed. In front of us were four pristine pitches, a stadium and a large clubhouse, all smack bang in the middle of the desert. Its the venue for the Dubai 7’s Rugby and will host the Rugby 7’s World Cup next year. It must have cost a fortune to rent for the weekend. The schedule was not kind to us as our first game was scheduled for 12h40 against Abu Dhabi. We were joined in our group by Clonmel Commercials, a Senior Football club from South Tipperary. We ambled between pitches and conserved enery for a few hours. When gametime rolled around we were all eager for action though.
We started the first game with the following team; Emmett, Davy, Keary, Rochey, Olof, Eoin and Micheal. Abu Dhabi would be much better versed in the 7’s game so we knew we had to be on the ball from the throw-in. They travelled with two teams and their A team which we were to play had the look of reasonably conmpetent footballers. We got the start we wanted with Micheal and I think, Eoin kicking a couple of points. Rochey and Keary were bursting through lads early doors and Keary topped it with a ‘lob’ of the keeper from forty yards. I think Mr. Gill kicked a second half point as did Rochey. Bar the odd hairy moment around our goal, which Emmett dealt with well, we controlled the game. The need for regular rotation of the subs was obvious early on and Conchur, Dec and Colin all saw plenty of gametime and contributed well. I was quiet enough and my one venture forward into enemy territory finished with a lame enough attempt for a point. The final score of 1-5 to 0-3 was deserved and the relative ease at which it was achieved allowed us keep the injured Gearoid Sayers in reserve.
A lengthy break followed and the temptation for some of us to join ranks with Abu Dhabi hurlers was too much to resist. We bolstered their squad for their make or break assignment against Dubai B! Myself, Micheal, Eoin and Dec all honoured their green jerseys and despite some rust we aquitted ourselves ok and contributed to Abu’s one point victory which qualifies them for a semi-final tomorrow against Dubai A. We all came through pretty much unscathed but i did have the pleasure of one of the Dubai apes breaking his hurley across my shins.
Clonmel Commercials were next and victory would seal our qualification to the semi-final. They were big men and with the former Tipp goalkeeper Philly Ryan (?) minding the net, we expected a tough game. Our tactics were simple, use our speed to change the focus from physical battle to something more suitable for men of our size. Again Gearoid stayed in reserve but there was the odd positional change. We lined up as follows; Emmett, Rochey, Keary, Olof, Michael, Davy and Eoin. Playing into the wind we started well with Eoin and Micheal getting a point and goal respectively. Then Eoin’s diminutive full-forward partner found his shooting points and kicked a truly marvelous score. Dec burst through soon after and had eyes only for the top corner but unfortunately the ball did not cooperate and he only succeeded in sending the little Indian lad behind the goal scampering into the desert to gather the ball. Conor de Barra was next to eye-ball our friend Philly but his piledriver went just over the bar.
The second half saw our opponents come into the game with their tactic being to drive long ball into Keary and his taller opponent. We didn’t give him the required support and this route certainly led to one goal. Still, with the aforementioned diminutive corner forward getting a taste for kicking scores, the Belgians would take control. First came another fine point as he briefly toyed with a Clonmel defender before despatching the ball over the bar and well into the car park. Minutes later he galloped through but maybe waited a moment too long before realising Micheal for a goal chance. It gave Clonmel the time to get back and bundle up the Duhallow man but not enough to stop him returning the ball to the aforementioned diminutive corner forward, who cooly placed the ball in the bottom corner. The final whistle soon followed and Niall Barrett of Carrigtwoill declared the European Champions 2-7 to 2-0 winners. Gearoid was joined by Colin Byrne on the sidelines as he picked up a knock in the ribs earlier in the day. Hopefully both will recover enough to play some part tomorrow.
The results mean we top the group and will now play Dubai A tomorrow who were runners up to Carrigtwoill in their group. They look a formidable side and the fact they have something like six teams competing shows their strength in depth. We will have to be on our game.
We returned on the fun bus with the Down ladies, who were in much better form. A couple of hairy incidents involving the bus driver trying to grab some shuteye mid-journey kept things lively. Once we got back it was straight to the pool to watch the sun come down on the day and toast our victories with some dodgy Chinesse beer. The pool played able substitute to the ice baths. It was flipping freezing.
Dubai continues to baffle me. On the roof top pool, you listen to the mosque doing its thing, look at the futuristic buildings scattered along the skyline and watch the sun disappear behind the desert. After a quick sprucing up we scattered off to different destinations. I headed to a large shopping mall around the corner with a few of the lads and we found a well stocked food hall which catered for all our needs. This was followed by a bit of shopping. The prices aren’t so different. Suits and shirts seem to be good value and i picked up a phone for half the price I would have in Brussels.
We are back in the hotel/appartment now and we are not sure what to do for the night. There is a social in the Irish Village but the weather has taken a turn and given its an outdoor venue we might skip it and put the feet up and sup a few beers. Tomorrow we play Dubai at 10h20 so pick-up is at 9am. As I said, they will be strong and we will need to up it another level from todays performance. We generally improve with each game of a tournament so hopefully we can follow that curve tomorrow. We hope Gearoid can play, we’ll need his strength and powerful running. A couple of us are suffering a bit of back pain from the hard ground but we should be ok.
So far the organisation has been top notch. Only thing we could have done with was maybe a couple of more games. An explanation of 7’s rules would have been handy too i.e. you take kick-outs from your hand! The 7’s game itself is tough. Its played on a full size rugby pitch which makes for alot of hard running. To some extent positions go out the window and its all about following the one man. Playing in defence is a nightmare due to all the space in front of you. It certainly isn’t my favourite variation of our sport but you wouldn’t expect anything to be normal in this city.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dubai - Day 1 in the Desert
We landed in Dubai this morning at 6am after a long trek from Brussels. Our journey involved two flights with a connection in Istanbul. The mood was still jovial as we disembarked the first in Istanbul. There was one moment of trepidation though as we waited to get off the plane. I think it was Rochey who mentioned Maria Brosnan (in relation to their Karaoke exploits of the previous weekend), but of course referred to here by her other name, ‘The Bomber’ (she is from Kerry and plays full-forward). Within about thirty seconds, four or five lads mentioned The Bombers name, which drew many a strange look from the other passengers. Fortunately, they did not see sufficient risk to notify the authorities.
Our hope was to sleep on the four hour flight from Istanbul to Dubai. We achieved this with varying degrees of success. I had some big Dutch lad sitting next to me who took a keen interest in Gaelic Football and flung questions at me for the first half hour. Fortunately, the arrival of his dinner quietened him long enough for me to adjust my seat, throw the blanket over me and catch a bit of kip. Already we were getting our first taste of what Dubai would be like. The difference between the clientele on flight #1 and #2 was noticable with those on the latter decked out in the finest and most expensive clobber.
Once we hit the ground in U.A.E. (not Saudi Arabia for those of you who didn’t pay attention in Geography class) we were greeted by loads of funny looking lads in full white coat type costume. I was convinced they were the umpires for the tournament but was later informed that this is in fact some sort of local custom. Anyway, on through passport control and to get our bags, or not as it turned out. As we walked passed duty free we weighed up whether to avail of the superb alcohol deals, given the difficult with buying it in Dubai. So in we went and raided their supplies to build sufficient stock for the post-tournament sessions.
The hotel had a bus there to pick us up and it whipped us away quickly. Dubai is a bit surreal and you feel it instantly. Everything is written in Arabic & English and it has a weird East meets West thing going on. The sun was just coming up as we journeyed in towards the hotel and the cities giant skyscrapers were in full view. Their height and shapes grasp your attention easily. Fortunately, when we arrived in the hotel the rooms were ready, and even better, they were all on the executive floor. I’m in with Becky, Conor, Dec and Rochey. We have two twins and a double with a sizeable living room and kitchen with all the mod cons.
Lads seperated at this stage and some opted to get out and about quickly to try and keep themselves awake, whilst the rest opted for a couple of hours sleep. Those who slept rose around half evelen and met in the lobby. It was quickly consensed that the beach was the best option and with temperatures of 23 degrees why not. The beach is totally man made and goes on and on for ages. We found our spot (it wasn’t hard given how scarce people were) and lay down the towels before charging down the sand and plunging into the surprising cold Gulf Sea. A few heroes (Micheal, Olof and Rockey) decided to swim out to some buoys and back whilst myself, Colin, Conor and Dec splished and splashed in the shallower water!
As we dryed in the midday sun Micheal was bouncing around looking for someone to play with and Dec was moaning about his grumbling stomach. They disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a volleyball and guidance to the nearest court/pitch/whatever they call a beach volleyball patch. The first few games were spent finding our feet at this new and novel game before the Cork boys (Conor, myself and Micheal) challenged the Rest of Ireland (Rochey, Dec anc Colin) to a duel. They were lucky to score in the first game but to keep things interesting we took the foot off a little in the second. However, in the deciding game, they were not to be spared and they were dealt with in a cruel and efficient manner.
Of course, being carefree lads in a city that we don’t speak the language and have never visited before, no-one took the hotel address. That wasn’t actually the first problem, instead it was the complete lack of taxis coming our way. Eventually, after about forty five minutes, four of us hopped in with very hazy instructions about where to go and left the other three with the promise we would text them the address. I think we are staying in a district called Bur Dubai and our reference point for the taxi was a shopping centre we passed in the morning, but had only a kinda idea of the name. Anyway, he brought us to a shopping place which was not it but we hopped out anyway and decided to go in search of the internet. The address was found and after a wander around we eventually made it back to the hotel. So, after a day in which tiredness could have driven tempers to flare we have survived so far without incident.
We’re back in the hotel now chilling out for an hour or so before dinner and then we will hit the hay early enough I’d say. Pick-up tomorrow is at 8am so we will need to be rested. We are grouped with Carrigtwoill, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. One would expect the Cork lads to be strong. As for the other two, given the tournament is on in Dubai they will have everyone available i’d imagine. You see it in the European tournaments that home teams always perform best at their own tournament for this reason. With Abu Dhabi just up the road we would expect the same for them. Hopefully, we will be recovered from last nights travel and no-one will suffer any debilitating jet lag.
Finally, it really is unreal to be here. There is a great buzz amongst the lads and this is a trip so far-fetched, that it is unlikely ever to be repeated. We are looking forward to seeing Dubai in the next few days, I suspect it will be an unforgettable experience. For now though, we need to fill the bellies and get a good rest before we play ball tomorrow.
Our hope was to sleep on the four hour flight from Istanbul to Dubai. We achieved this with varying degrees of success. I had some big Dutch lad sitting next to me who took a keen interest in Gaelic Football and flung questions at me for the first half hour. Fortunately, the arrival of his dinner quietened him long enough for me to adjust my seat, throw the blanket over me and catch a bit of kip. Already we were getting our first taste of what Dubai would be like. The difference between the clientele on flight #1 and #2 was noticable with those on the latter decked out in the finest and most expensive clobber.
Once we hit the ground in U.A.E. (not Saudi Arabia for those of you who didn’t pay attention in Geography class) we were greeted by loads of funny looking lads in full white coat type costume. I was convinced they were the umpires for the tournament but was later informed that this is in fact some sort of local custom. Anyway, on through passport control and to get our bags, or not as it turned out. As we walked passed duty free we weighed up whether to avail of the superb alcohol deals, given the difficult with buying it in Dubai. So in we went and raided their supplies to build sufficient stock for the post-tournament sessions.
The hotel had a bus there to pick us up and it whipped us away quickly. Dubai is a bit surreal and you feel it instantly. Everything is written in Arabic & English and it has a weird East meets West thing going on. The sun was just coming up as we journeyed in towards the hotel and the cities giant skyscrapers were in full view. Their height and shapes grasp your attention easily. Fortunately, when we arrived in the hotel the rooms were ready, and even better, they were all on the executive floor. I’m in with Becky, Conor, Dec and Rochey. We have two twins and a double with a sizeable living room and kitchen with all the mod cons.
Lads seperated at this stage and some opted to get out and about quickly to try and keep themselves awake, whilst the rest opted for a couple of hours sleep. Those who slept rose around half evelen and met in the lobby. It was quickly consensed that the beach was the best option and with temperatures of 23 degrees why not. The beach is totally man made and goes on and on for ages. We found our spot (it wasn’t hard given how scarce people were) and lay down the towels before charging down the sand and plunging into the surprising cold Gulf Sea. A few heroes (Micheal, Olof and Rockey) decided to swim out to some buoys and back whilst myself, Colin, Conor and Dec splished and splashed in the shallower water!
As we dryed in the midday sun Micheal was bouncing around looking for someone to play with and Dec was moaning about his grumbling stomach. They disappeared for a few minutes and returned with a volleyball and guidance to the nearest court/pitch/whatever they call a beach volleyball patch. The first few games were spent finding our feet at this new and novel game before the Cork boys (Conor, myself and Micheal) challenged the Rest of Ireland (Rochey, Dec anc Colin) to a duel. They were lucky to score in the first game but to keep things interesting we took the foot off a little in the second. However, in the deciding game, they were not to be spared and they were dealt with in a cruel and efficient manner.
Of course, being carefree lads in a city that we don’t speak the language and have never visited before, no-one took the hotel address. That wasn’t actually the first problem, instead it was the complete lack of taxis coming our way. Eventually, after about forty five minutes, four of us hopped in with very hazy instructions about where to go and left the other three with the promise we would text them the address. I think we are staying in a district called Bur Dubai and our reference point for the taxi was a shopping centre we passed in the morning, but had only a kinda idea of the name. Anyway, he brought us to a shopping place which was not it but we hopped out anyway and decided to go in search of the internet. The address was found and after a wander around we eventually made it back to the hotel. So, after a day in which tiredness could have driven tempers to flare we have survived so far without incident.
We’re back in the hotel now chilling out for an hour or so before dinner and then we will hit the hay early enough I’d say. Pick-up tomorrow is at 8am so we will need to be rested. We are grouped with Carrigtwoill, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. One would expect the Cork lads to be strong. As for the other two, given the tournament is on in Dubai they will have everyone available i’d imagine. You see it in the European tournaments that home teams always perform best at their own tournament for this reason. With Abu Dhabi just up the road we would expect the same for them. Hopefully, we will be recovered from last nights travel and no-one will suffer any debilitating jet lag.
Finally, it really is unreal to be here. There is a great buzz amongst the lads and this is a trip so far-fetched, that it is unlikely ever to be repeated. We are looking forward to seeing Dubai in the next few days, I suspect it will be an unforgettable experience. For now though, we need to fill the bellies and get a good rest before we play ball tomorrow.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Dubai Player Profiles
Conchur de Barra
Or 'The Bull', or even 'The Lord Mayor' depending on the environment you find him in. He tells a dramatic story about coming to Brussels 11 or 12 years ago for the weekend. Then he stayed and over the years got a few bob together to realise his dream, sponsoring a GAA team. The man has conflicting interests coming out his arse; Michael Collins pub v de Valera's pub, Chairman/Treasurer/Sponsor of the GAA club, Treasurer/Sponsor of FC Irlande. On the field he has pace and power. Expect to be battered and bruised if you cross his path.
Emmett Devine
Captain in our first season, he famously declared after the Rennes tournament that we had one hand on the European Cup, even though we had one tournament left and alot of work to do. If ever you could provide motivation for the opposition that did the trick! Known in his younger years as Captain Milsean, Devine plays ball like a angry wasp. Dubai could be his swansong as his better half Lisa Byrne will deliver another little Devine in a few months! Hopefully not though, his driving bursts forward lift all those around him.
Colin Byrne
Under the stars and floodlights of Maastricht, with the clock ticking down and his team trailing by three points in the final against Den Hague, young Byrne found himself at the edge of the square, ball in hand. Wicklow men have rarely been so close to glory but nothing fazes this man and he cooly slotted the ball to the back of the net. It took another point to seperate the teams but it was the goal that put us in position to win. December saw him diamond shopping in Antwerp and sure enough he was engaged before the turn of the year. Not one for romance though, he popped the question in Leitrim!
Eoin Sheanon
So many chips on his shoulders they're in danger of disappearing. The Dub desperately wants to crawl out from the shadow of his younger brother who lined out in the middle of the field for Dublin recently. Dispatched to UCC in his younger years to learn some manners, you would think the arrogance would have been knocked out of him. Sadly not.
On the field, he never, ever, ever passes. It is truly unbelievable. Still, when he is on form he can certainly kick a point and the confidence aids his high conversion ratio from placed balls. Provided he has a man along side him to do his running, he has potential to be a major threat. Needs to prove it on the big stage though, needs to prove it in Dubai!
Declan Hilary
The first of the men from the West. Departed for Leipzig in the early summer of '08 but his two weeks on, two weeks off shifts allowed him continue to wear the colours of Belgium. He was fading from the local scene as the leafs started to fall in late '08. Then romance struck in the European capital and his return to Belgium is back to the regular two week shifts. We trust the fags have been kicked to touch and he is pounding roads in East Germany to keep his fitness. Good work rate and if he plays with the head up he'll have a good tournament.
Kevin Keary
Along with Dec, he too hails from Galway. Keary has the scarf, the jacket, the snigger and the billion languages required to talk bollocks down on Place Lux. If it wasn't for the GAA he would be one of those totally unbearable politicos that litter our parish. His on-field character is unrecognisable form the off field one. Possibly...definitily the dirtiest defender in Europe. Pulling, dragging, scratching and below the belt digs are just a sample of his dirty tricks. I only know this because of a few infrequent occassions in which i crossed his path in training. Rarely gets spotted by the man with the whistle and rarely gets the credit he deserves. One of the most consistent performers in '08, if he gives up on the shooting and learns to keep time than he'll have a good '09 also.
Olof Gill
The man from the island, Clare Island. Born to a Swedish mother, he was also despatched to UCC to get an education. Where it failed with Eoin, UCC succeeded in knocking the bogman out of this man. A journalist in the European something or other, he was a way with words and has been assigned the task as interviewer for our upcoming DVD production.
Gill's planning leaves alot to be desired and he failed to prioritise the GAA the way he should have last year. When he did, he made a right balls of it, most notably when he wrecked his knee galloping down a hill in Munich before the tournament had even started. Alot to prove in 2009, the big man needs to hit the sand running in the desert!
Philip Roche
'On your bike, Rochey', scream his adoring fans as he ploughs through tackles and storms up the field. A distant relative of Stephen Roche, he inherited his cycling talents, all be it the mountain variety. Landed in Belgium in June '08 with a little help from Toyota's GAA recruitment team. Rochey's a bit of an iron bar and is un-understandably good under the high ball for a man of his stature. Rambles on about Ballyboden from time to time but in truth hadn't played for a good few years before he arrived in town. He quickly found his feet again though. Versatility is the name of his game and he can be found anywhere from the full back line up to the half forward line. Will need the full repertoire this week.
Gearoid Sayers
Please reference article of Saturday, January 17th. A giant of a footballer and top man, his similiarites with Brian Dooher don't end with their looks. Covers savage ground with savage purpose. He was the man who added to Byrne's score in the South of Holland. If he is fit to play in Dubai, it will be a major boost to our hopes.
Micheal O'Flynn
A Corkman schooled in Trinity? How this has gone so long without being questionned is a mystery. He is as elusive on the Brussels social scene as he is on the pitch. The Duhallow man is regularily drawn to his I-talian lady in London so we have not seen so much of him. After arriving in late September he made a big impact in Rennes, the highlight of which was a pile driver of a goal in the semi against Luxembourg. Named player of the tournament on the same day, a similiar level of performance will be needed this week.
Davy Barrett
Another Corkman. After spending years demostrating his versatility between the #2 and #4 jersey back in Kinsale, European football gave him the release he craved. Now-a-days he can be found loitering around the half forward positions. Still, ya can't teach an old dog new tricks and he regularily drifts back between the half back and full back lines. Pops up with the occassional point but defending is clearly is preferred dish.
Or 'The Bull', or even 'The Lord Mayor' depending on the environment you find him in. He tells a dramatic story about coming to Brussels 11 or 12 years ago for the weekend. Then he stayed and over the years got a few bob together to realise his dream, sponsoring a GAA team. The man has conflicting interests coming out his arse; Michael Collins pub v de Valera's pub, Chairman/Treasurer/Sponsor of the GAA club, Treasurer/Sponsor of FC Irlande. On the field he has pace and power. Expect to be battered and bruised if you cross his path.
Emmett Devine
Captain in our first season, he famously declared after the Rennes tournament that we had one hand on the European Cup, even though we had one tournament left and alot of work to do. If ever you could provide motivation for the opposition that did the trick! Known in his younger years as Captain Milsean, Devine plays ball like a angry wasp. Dubai could be his swansong as his better half Lisa Byrne will deliver another little Devine in a few months! Hopefully not though, his driving bursts forward lift all those around him.
Colin Byrne
Under the stars and floodlights of Maastricht, with the clock ticking down and his team trailing by three points in the final against Den Hague, young Byrne found himself at the edge of the square, ball in hand. Wicklow men have rarely been so close to glory but nothing fazes this man and he cooly slotted the ball to the back of the net. It took another point to seperate the teams but it was the goal that put us in position to win. December saw him diamond shopping in Antwerp and sure enough he was engaged before the turn of the year. Not one for romance though, he popped the question in Leitrim!
Eoin Sheanon
So many chips on his shoulders they're in danger of disappearing. The Dub desperately wants to crawl out from the shadow of his younger brother who lined out in the middle of the field for Dublin recently. Dispatched to UCC in his younger years to learn some manners, you would think the arrogance would have been knocked out of him. Sadly not.
On the field, he never, ever, ever passes. It is truly unbelievable. Still, when he is on form he can certainly kick a point and the confidence aids his high conversion ratio from placed balls. Provided he has a man along side him to do his running, he has potential to be a major threat. Needs to prove it on the big stage though, needs to prove it in Dubai!
Declan Hilary
The first of the men from the West. Departed for Leipzig in the early summer of '08 but his two weeks on, two weeks off shifts allowed him continue to wear the colours of Belgium. He was fading from the local scene as the leafs started to fall in late '08. Then romance struck in the European capital and his return to Belgium is back to the regular two week shifts. We trust the fags have been kicked to touch and he is pounding roads in East Germany to keep his fitness. Good work rate and if he plays with the head up he'll have a good tournament.
Kevin Keary
Along with Dec, he too hails from Galway. Keary has the scarf, the jacket, the snigger and the billion languages required to talk bollocks down on Place Lux. If it wasn't for the GAA he would be one of those totally unbearable politicos that litter our parish. His on-field character is unrecognisable form the off field one. Possibly...definitily the dirtiest defender in Europe. Pulling, dragging, scratching and below the belt digs are just a sample of his dirty tricks. I only know this because of a few infrequent occassions in which i crossed his path in training. Rarely gets spotted by the man with the whistle and rarely gets the credit he deserves. One of the most consistent performers in '08, if he gives up on the shooting and learns to keep time than he'll have a good '09 also.
Olof Gill
The man from the island, Clare Island. Born to a Swedish mother, he was also despatched to UCC to get an education. Where it failed with Eoin, UCC succeeded in knocking the bogman out of this man. A journalist in the European something or other, he was a way with words and has been assigned the task as interviewer for our upcoming DVD production.
Gill's planning leaves alot to be desired and he failed to prioritise the GAA the way he should have last year. When he did, he made a right balls of it, most notably when he wrecked his knee galloping down a hill in Munich before the tournament had even started. Alot to prove in 2009, the big man needs to hit the sand running in the desert!
Philip Roche
'On your bike, Rochey', scream his adoring fans as he ploughs through tackles and storms up the field. A distant relative of Stephen Roche, he inherited his cycling talents, all be it the mountain variety. Landed in Belgium in June '08 with a little help from Toyota's GAA recruitment team. Rochey's a bit of an iron bar and is un-understandably good under the high ball for a man of his stature. Rambles on about Ballyboden from time to time but in truth hadn't played for a good few years before he arrived in town. He quickly found his feet again though. Versatility is the name of his game and he can be found anywhere from the full back line up to the half forward line. Will need the full repertoire this week.
Gearoid Sayers
Please reference article of Saturday, January 17th. A giant of a footballer and top man, his similiarites with Brian Dooher don't end with their looks. Covers savage ground with savage purpose. He was the man who added to Byrne's score in the South of Holland. If he is fit to play in Dubai, it will be a major boost to our hopes.
Micheal O'Flynn
A Corkman schooled in Trinity? How this has gone so long without being questionned is a mystery. He is as elusive on the Brussels social scene as he is on the pitch. The Duhallow man is regularily drawn to his I-talian lady in London so we have not seen so much of him. After arriving in late September he made a big impact in Rennes, the highlight of which was a pile driver of a goal in the semi against Luxembourg. Named player of the tournament on the same day, a similiar level of performance will be needed this week.
Davy Barrett
Another Corkman. After spending years demostrating his versatility between the #2 and #4 jersey back in Kinsale, European football gave him the release he craved. Now-a-days he can be found loitering around the half forward positions. Still, ya can't teach an old dog new tricks and he regularily drifts back between the half back and full back lines. Pops up with the occassional point but defending is clearly is preferred dish.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Recession Recession Recession
The papers are littered with articles about the impact the recession is having on the GAA at the moment. The number of transfers to the UK especially, has been on the rise since mid-2008. It is even reaching our top stars whom in the past could have probably expected their talent to land them some work. However, today's article in the Sunday Tribune (http://www.tribune.ie/sport/gaelic-football/article/2009/jan/18/londain-calling/) tells of an unemployed Matty Forde, two Cork lads who have moved to Edinburgh and Sweden to continue their careers and a Monaghan manager who will probably resign if any of his current squad board a boat or a plane destined for foreign lands.
The UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the most likely destinations for those heading off. On mainland Europe we are seeing inklings of it also. In recent weeks there has been rumour of clubs starting in Poland, Sweden, Estonia and Norway. Whether there is a link or not can't be determined.
The part of the article that caught my eye was the move of Cork full back Derek Kavanagh to Sweden. With a team potentially springing up in Stockhom it throws up the possibility of a titanic midfield battle between Kavanagh and Clare Island & Belgium's Olof Gill. Olof, with a Swedish mother would no doubt relish the battle.
But what could Kavanagh expect of his early days in his new GAA club? He would most likely be joining a small group of passionate GAA men whose dream of setting up a club started over a few pints in one of Stockhoms bustling Irish pubs. The club would have no money and training in its early days would take place in a local park. He would probably be taking orders from a lad from the West of Ireland who met a Swedish au pair 40 years ago and followed her home. Most importantly of all though, his new teammates would take him under their wing, show him the sights, offer a social outlet and provide him any support he needed to settle in. Whether Kavanagh would be able to adjust his GAA ambitions to his new environment is another matter. If he could, I'm sure he would be made very welcome and settle in very quickly.
What about the recession and its impact on Belgium GAA? The magnitude of it probably hasn't hit most of us here and it certainly does not dominate the conversation anywhere near the extent it does at home. I do understand the severity of it though, as I work for Toyota and we are in one of the most deeply affected sectors. We have three or four other lads who work for the company also, two of whom would normally leave for Japan in the coming year. We are hoping Toyota takes a cautious approach to the current situation and postpones their assignments so we can benefit from their talent for a little longer!!
Alot of the other lads in our club work in the European institutions in nice cushy, well protected jobs. Some have sought to extend their assignments but their request has been denied and they have had to return to their desks in Dublin. This makes us probably the only GAA team outside of Ireland suffering negatively from the recession at home.
It is also impacting our ability to lure teams over for challenge games. We have hosted a few teams in the past but this year we have been putting a massive effort into contacting clubs and trying to get them over. For our club to continue to grow, we need to provide a GAA calender with enough events to encourage lads to give committment. So far there has been a very cautionary tone to the replies and people at home are no doubt cutting down on weekends away.
Finally, I can't imagine when lads get out their map to decide where to head, that their finger lands on Brussels too often. Expect the Spanish teams, the Dutch teams and maybe those a bit further East to benefit most. We will all be interested in seeing how Luxembourg are impacted. They recruit bucket loads of Irish students every summer to work in the banks, which makes them very strong. I'm undecided as to whether i'd be happy or not if this pipeline drys up. It strengthens them considerably but it also raises the standards and playing level of the competitions, which can only be a good thing. For now though, its a case of wait and see.
The UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the most likely destinations for those heading off. On mainland Europe we are seeing inklings of it also. In recent weeks there has been rumour of clubs starting in Poland, Sweden, Estonia and Norway. Whether there is a link or not can't be determined.
The part of the article that caught my eye was the move of Cork full back Derek Kavanagh to Sweden. With a team potentially springing up in Stockhom it throws up the possibility of a titanic midfield battle between Kavanagh and Clare Island & Belgium's Olof Gill. Olof, with a Swedish mother would no doubt relish the battle.
But what could Kavanagh expect of his early days in his new GAA club? He would most likely be joining a small group of passionate GAA men whose dream of setting up a club started over a few pints in one of Stockhoms bustling Irish pubs. The club would have no money and training in its early days would take place in a local park. He would probably be taking orders from a lad from the West of Ireland who met a Swedish au pair 40 years ago and followed her home. Most importantly of all though, his new teammates would take him under their wing, show him the sights, offer a social outlet and provide him any support he needed to settle in. Whether Kavanagh would be able to adjust his GAA ambitions to his new environment is another matter. If he could, I'm sure he would be made very welcome and settle in very quickly.
What about the recession and its impact on Belgium GAA? The magnitude of it probably hasn't hit most of us here and it certainly does not dominate the conversation anywhere near the extent it does at home. I do understand the severity of it though, as I work for Toyota and we are in one of the most deeply affected sectors. We have three or four other lads who work for the company also, two of whom would normally leave for Japan in the coming year. We are hoping Toyota takes a cautious approach to the current situation and postpones their assignments so we can benefit from their talent for a little longer!!
Alot of the other lads in our club work in the European institutions in nice cushy, well protected jobs. Some have sought to extend their assignments but their request has been denied and they have had to return to their desks in Dublin. This makes us probably the only GAA team outside of Ireland suffering negatively from the recession at home.
It is also impacting our ability to lure teams over for challenge games. We have hosted a few teams in the past but this year we have been putting a massive effort into contacting clubs and trying to get them over. For our club to continue to grow, we need to provide a GAA calender with enough events to encourage lads to give committment. So far there has been a very cautionary tone to the replies and people at home are no doubt cutting down on weekends away.
Finally, I can't imagine when lads get out their map to decide where to head, that their finger lands on Brussels too often. Expect the Spanish teams, the Dutch teams and maybe those a bit further East to benefit most. We will all be interested in seeing how Luxembourg are impacted. They recruit bucket loads of Irish students every summer to work in the banks, which makes them very strong. I'm undecided as to whether i'd be happy or not if this pipeline drys up. It strengthens them considerably but it also raises the standards and playing level of the competitions, which can only be a good thing. For now though, its a case of wait and see.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Dubai Preparations Suffer Potential Blow
It was back to the British School in Tervuren today for a challenge game against the 'Rest of the World'. Actually, our modest Dub Eoin Seanoin had recruited 6 footballers from Ireland, most of whom were from Cork. They were over for the weekend for some beer and football and their team consisted of themselves, Eoin and some other Belgium players. It was typical Belgian weather, rain and wind, whilst underfoot conditions were soft. We played 3 periods of twenty minutes and resident referee Willie Cashin did a good job with the whistle. The rust is still in evidence but we played some good football at times, the best of it when we kept it simple and moved the ball on by hand.
In my role as 'Trainer', I would say tactics are something I have paid least attention to. Partly because I don't see it as one of my strengths and partly because any direction you give lads tends to go in one ear and out the other. The first twenty minutes today was very frustrating as we continually kicked the ball away. At the break I asked lads to focus on short ten yard hand passes which in my opinion greatly reduces the risk of giving the ball away. Key to making this work is supporting the man on the ball. For the next ten minutes lads demonstrated complete disregard for the request and continued to kick the ball away. After some amicable exchanges to clarify the request we started to move the ball very well and picked off some good scores. It baffles me that grown men will look at you noddingly when you ask them to do something and then turnaround and do exactly what you don't want them to do.
One thing which I often forget though is that alot of lads haven't played football for a few years, some for up to ten years! As a result their main concern is actually getting possession of the ball, whereas a more experienced player takes it for granted that they will get a hold of it and already knows their next move. We will keep the faith though. Football can be broken down into a very simple game and even the most simple plan can be effective i.e. pumping long ball into a big brute of a full forward and working off the breaks.
The most significant thing that happened today has provided us with a big problem ahead of Dubai. Gearoid Sayers from John Mitchells club in Kerry, pulled up with a hamstring problem. It seems he is prone to this kind of thing as he suffered in Rennes and Maastricht last year. This blog doesn't intend to comment on individuals too much but it will bend the rules in this case. Gearoid is a former Kerry Junior and even though he hadn't kicked a ball for a couple of years when he arrived, you could instantly see his class. For me, he was the key man in the last two tournaments of 2008. He is a powerful wing-back who always picks the right option and keeps the game very simple. If it is indeed a hamstring pull, he will be a massive loss from the Dubai squad.
Still, in every season you will face these type of situations and it requires the rest of us to up it a notch or two. I remember playing for my club Kinsale and for about three years we worked off 15-17 players whilst the rest picked splinters out of their arse. When a lad was suspended or injured he was seen as irreplacable and panic ensued. Then we started picking up alot of injuries, had lads heading off to the states and some fading from the scene. Those lads warming the bench came in and proved more than capable replacements. The point i'm trying to make is, if we lose Gearoid it will of course be a big blow, but we won't play with a man less. Its up to the rest of us to compensate for the loss by raising our game.
So, we are four days from departure and still hope to get one more session in. Other than that we will be keeping the fingers crossed that no one picks up any bug or injury. Personally, I'm buzzing about it. There will be none of the muck and shit we had in Tervuren today. Instead we can expect desert, sunshine and perfectly manicured football pitches!
In my role as 'Trainer', I would say tactics are something I have paid least attention to. Partly because I don't see it as one of my strengths and partly because any direction you give lads tends to go in one ear and out the other. The first twenty minutes today was very frustrating as we continually kicked the ball away. At the break I asked lads to focus on short ten yard hand passes which in my opinion greatly reduces the risk of giving the ball away. Key to making this work is supporting the man on the ball. For the next ten minutes lads demonstrated complete disregard for the request and continued to kick the ball away. After some amicable exchanges to clarify the request we started to move the ball very well and picked off some good scores. It baffles me that grown men will look at you noddingly when you ask them to do something and then turnaround and do exactly what you don't want them to do.
One thing which I often forget though is that alot of lads haven't played football for a few years, some for up to ten years! As a result their main concern is actually getting possession of the ball, whereas a more experienced player takes it for granted that they will get a hold of it and already knows their next move. We will keep the faith though. Football can be broken down into a very simple game and even the most simple plan can be effective i.e. pumping long ball into a big brute of a full forward and working off the breaks.
The most significant thing that happened today has provided us with a big problem ahead of Dubai. Gearoid Sayers from John Mitchells club in Kerry, pulled up with a hamstring problem. It seems he is prone to this kind of thing as he suffered in Rennes and Maastricht last year. This blog doesn't intend to comment on individuals too much but it will bend the rules in this case. Gearoid is a former Kerry Junior and even though he hadn't kicked a ball for a couple of years when he arrived, you could instantly see his class. For me, he was the key man in the last two tournaments of 2008. He is a powerful wing-back who always picks the right option and keeps the game very simple. If it is indeed a hamstring pull, he will be a massive loss from the Dubai squad.
Still, in every season you will face these type of situations and it requires the rest of us to up it a notch or two. I remember playing for my club Kinsale and for about three years we worked off 15-17 players whilst the rest picked splinters out of their arse. When a lad was suspended or injured he was seen as irreplacable and panic ensued. Then we started picking up alot of injuries, had lads heading off to the states and some fading from the scene. Those lads warming the bench came in and proved more than capable replacements. The point i'm trying to make is, if we lose Gearoid it will of course be a big blow, but we won't play with a man less. Its up to the rest of us to compensate for the loss by raising our game.
So, we are four days from departure and still hope to get one more session in. Other than that we will be keeping the fingers crossed that no one picks up any bug or injury. Personally, I'm buzzing about it. There will be none of the muck and shit we had in Tervuren today. Instead we can expect desert, sunshine and perfectly manicured football pitches!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Bouncing Off The Walls
After a couple of false starts, training started tonight. We had restricted the numbers to the Dubai lads. Dec and Micheal were absent and I had invited a new lad from Cork called Eoghan. He is a buddy of Wolfies and is living in Antwerp until July. I thought it would be good to get him involved early before he gets distracted by the Flemish ladies and Belgian beer.
Priority tonight was to stretch the legs and get the hands on the ball. We got the ladders out and rattled through them for a while. Silky footwork was not the order of the day. Colin, a Dub whose finest moment was scoring the deciding goal in the Maastricht final, is most definitly NOT a candidate for Riverdance. In fairness though it takes a couple of nights to get back into them but they get the legs pounding and serve their purpose.
There was some error ridden football drills after that before we broke off into a game. Brian Dooher's team totally dominated the other team, which I was on! There is nothing worse than getting bait by Olof Gill and they made shit of us tonight. I don't think we strung three passes together.
Indoor isn't ideal for a game like Gaelic Football. Putting The Bull in an enclosed area is a recipe for disaster but we survived relatively unscathed. After a couple of months off you forget about the bruises, scrawls and biting involved in Gaelic Football. I have a few nice reminders of tonights session but ya gotta love it.
Our Banisteoir Conan made a rare appearance tonight and started what will hopefully turn into a DVD of the season. We will collect photage as we go and keep editing it away and hopefully at the end of the year have something which tells the story of 2009. Last year was unforgettable and hopefully this year will be the same. The roads you travel to play European GAA are a far cry from those in Ireland and the experience along the way are worth recording. It will be our 'A Year till Sunday'.
So Day 1 is down and the next outing will be a little 7's tournament we are organising on Saturday. Hopefully we might get a session in on Monday night and then we'll keep our heads down till Dubai. Its less than a week away now and the thought of the warm desert climate is certainly exciting.
Priority tonight was to stretch the legs and get the hands on the ball. We got the ladders out and rattled through them for a while. Silky footwork was not the order of the day. Colin, a Dub whose finest moment was scoring the deciding goal in the Maastricht final, is most definitly NOT a candidate for Riverdance. In fairness though it takes a couple of nights to get back into them but they get the legs pounding and serve their purpose.
There was some error ridden football drills after that before we broke off into a game. Brian Dooher's team totally dominated the other team, which I was on! There is nothing worse than getting bait by Olof Gill and they made shit of us tonight. I don't think we strung three passes together.
Indoor isn't ideal for a game like Gaelic Football. Putting The Bull in an enclosed area is a recipe for disaster but we survived relatively unscathed. After a couple of months off you forget about the bruises, scrawls and biting involved in Gaelic Football. I have a few nice reminders of tonights session but ya gotta love it.
Our Banisteoir Conan made a rare appearance tonight and started what will hopefully turn into a DVD of the season. We will collect photage as we go and keep editing it away and hopefully at the end of the year have something which tells the story of 2009. Last year was unforgettable and hopefully this year will be the same. The roads you travel to play European GAA are a far cry from those in Ireland and the experience along the way are worth recording. It will be our 'A Year till Sunday'.
So Day 1 is down and the next outing will be a little 7's tournament we are organising on Saturday. Hopefully we might get a session in on Monday night and then we'll keep our heads down till Dubai. Its less than a week away now and the thought of the warm desert climate is certainly exciting.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Winter Weather Hitting Dubai Preparations
We are just under two weeks from the Dubai 7’s and we haven’t been able to kick a ball in anger since the turn of 2009. Our last tournament was on November 8th in Maastricht. Since then some lads have been tipping away in the gym and a small few others playing soccer, hockey or cycling.
Being in Brussels, the majority of lads headed home for Christmas so it was not possible to get everyone together. We returned from our holidays to find Belgium covered in snow and temperatures struggling to get anywhere near 0 degrees. All pitches and even indoor facilities have been closed and thus our preparations seriously hampered.
The Dubai idea came out of a very successful first year for Belgium Gaelic Football. We were crowned European Champions in Maastricht, in our first season. A few of us had mentioned the idea of Dubai but I didn’t think it was realistic. Lads had travelled to up to 12 tournaments at their own expense in 2008 and it seemed Dubai would be a bridge too far. However, Eoin Seanoin and Gearoid Sayers started pedalling the idea at the end of year dinner and it caught on.
The following week those two, myself and Club Chairman/Player Conchur de Barra met in the James Joyce in Shuman to discuss it further. We had a burst of enthusiasm and Eoin said he’d organise a poker night. By the time the event occurred, interest was already on the wane with holidays & cash becoming issues. The idea was dead when Conchur sent an email with a proposal to get additional sponsorship to back-up what Eoin made from the Poker night. This help made it a bit more affordable and the need for only two days holidays swung it. Within a day or two we had a formidable squad booked to go.
We have a squad of 11 going. Club Secretary Becky Mattes is also travelling and is doing an excellent job of taking care of all the logistics. Anay Rios who plays with our girls team is also the other member of the travelling party. It should be an epic trip. We have entered the A section but have no idea where we stand against the opposition. Our squad is formidable enough for an expat team. We have lads who have played Sigerson, Fitzgibbion, Senior Club and a limited amount of inter-county experience.
Our strongest asset is our team spirit though. The team only formed on March 1, 2008 and last year 45 different lads played in tournaments. It indicates a phenomenal turnover and indicative of life in Brussels. The integration into the group is rapid and without bias. The social scene amongst the lads is strong but we are by no means dependant on each other. Becoming European Champions last year sealed a strong bond between the lads.
Hopefully we will see some action Thursday night in the indoor hall of the British School. At this stage we aren’t going to improve our fitness too much but the psychological effect of having something done would be beneficial.
Being in Brussels, the majority of lads headed home for Christmas so it was not possible to get everyone together. We returned from our holidays to find Belgium covered in snow and temperatures struggling to get anywhere near 0 degrees. All pitches and even indoor facilities have been closed and thus our preparations seriously hampered.
The Dubai idea came out of a very successful first year for Belgium Gaelic Football. We were crowned European Champions in Maastricht, in our first season. A few of us had mentioned the idea of Dubai but I didn’t think it was realistic. Lads had travelled to up to 12 tournaments at their own expense in 2008 and it seemed Dubai would be a bridge too far. However, Eoin Seanoin and Gearoid Sayers started pedalling the idea at the end of year dinner and it caught on.
The following week those two, myself and Club Chairman/Player Conchur de Barra met in the James Joyce in Shuman to discuss it further. We had a burst of enthusiasm and Eoin said he’d organise a poker night. By the time the event occurred, interest was already on the wane with holidays & cash becoming issues. The idea was dead when Conchur sent an email with a proposal to get additional sponsorship to back-up what Eoin made from the Poker night. This help made it a bit more affordable and the need for only two days holidays swung it. Within a day or two we had a formidable squad booked to go.
We have a squad of 11 going. Club Secretary Becky Mattes is also travelling and is doing an excellent job of taking care of all the logistics. Anay Rios who plays with our girls team is also the other member of the travelling party. It should be an epic trip. We have entered the A section but have no idea where we stand against the opposition. Our squad is formidable enough for an expat team. We have lads who have played Sigerson, Fitzgibbion, Senior Club and a limited amount of inter-county experience.
Our strongest asset is our team spirit though. The team only formed on March 1, 2008 and last year 45 different lads played in tournaments. It indicates a phenomenal turnover and indicative of life in Brussels. The integration into the group is rapid and without bias. The social scene amongst the lads is strong but we are by no means dependant on each other. Becoming European Champions last year sealed a strong bond between the lads.
Hopefully we will see some action Thursday night in the indoor hall of the British School. At this stage we aren’t going to improve our fitness too much but the psychological effect of having something done would be beneficial.
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