"when it's there, it's there forever."

Tony Browne will turn 38 in July. I'll turn 30 tomorrow. You can't but admire the man. This year will be his 20th season of Championship hurling. His durability in such a demanding game is incredible. When you think how he has continued to achieve, it makes 30 not seem so bad.

In an Irish Times feature a few weeks ago, Martin Storey said this of Browne;

“We beat the head off one another. We boxed and tore into each other because he didn’t want me to get the better of him and I didn’t want him to get the better of me. And that is either there or it’s not there and when it’s there, it’s there forever.”

Two warriors going at it, not because of a hate for each other but because of the competitive streak that has sustained them both so long. I haven't been able to get the quote out of my head for three weeks.

Tomorrow we go to The Hague to start our defence of the European Hurling Championship and our quest for three in a row. Teams always talk this down as not being important and they are right. What is important is the Championship that is in front of you, not the ones that are behind you.

My biggest fear for Belgium G.A.A. is that we will become a social club, content with just taking part and losing sight of the ultimate goal of winning. I’ve a sense it may be creeping into guys mindset. Tomorrow will be a big test of that mentality. Complacency has set in over the last year and teams are getting closer and closer to ending our thirty two month unbeaten run.

In the final of the last tournament in Zurich last year, the game was in the melting pot until we got a late insurance point. The time will come when we are beaten but as I keep saying, it can’t be because we beat ourselves. It has to be because we tried our hardest but ultimately, there was a better team than us out there on the day.

Success sustains a competitive club. It’s the only thing that will. It’s going to be a good test of us all; whether we have the Tony Browne factor or not.