Cheerio 2012!

2012 can finally be retired and considering the battering it took in recent weeks, it will gratefully take its place in the archives of the club.


The end of year dinner rarely disappoints and this year was no different. The Old Oak was cleared out, decorated and prepared for one last storm. Micheal O'Muirheartigh rolled in as special guest and the lads even threw on a few ties. There wasn't a white vest or cardigan in sight. Although John Montgomery did rock up in a Christmas jumper.

The main business of the night, as usual, was the presenting of awards and medals. Aonghus acted as MC and his father Micheal entertained.

The ladies picked up their football championship medals and Aisling, Janelle and Caoimhe picked up individual player awards in football and camogie.

Martin declined to present the hurlers with their runners up medals initially, on the basis that we hadn't come within 'an arses roar' of winning it out. A speech that keeps us grounded and focused towards 2013! Shane picked up the individual gong and Martin later relented and slipped us our medals.

Collie Byrne manoeuvred his way into the final slot on the list of speakers. He used it to reflect on his four years as football officer and ticked all the boxes. It was possibly his finest performance as he milked it to the last, much to all of the lads' delight. The medals were dished out and followed by Lynchy and Kitch picking up the individual recognitions.

Maria was a deserving club person of the year but there were special mentions (& flowers!) to recognise the massive contributions of Jane and Ross throughout the year.

I was slightly embarrassed to receive more than sufficient credit for my contributions over the years. I've told enough people on enough occasions that if you do something in the G.A.A. for the thanks you'll get, then you may be waiting a while. I never expect it or want it but to receive it and know that my contribution brought some good to the whole thing, is something I will take satisfaction from.

Within moments of the speeches concluding, the tables were cleared and everyone was let loose. Towards the back of the bar, a lengthy and orderly queue formed and everyone waited patiently to have a word and a photo with Micheal. The man has incredible stamina and patience. It really was an honour to have him there, especially when you consider he chose to decline an invitation to present Donegal with their medals on the same night. What is maybe most impressive is how fast he can grasp the situation and environment he lands in and adapt his message. He has an amazing gift.
The dancing and jostling continued till dawn. If the lads apply themselves as well to training next year, as they have to drinking in the last six weeks, then the rest might as well stay at home.

Understanding Why

Talk to people at home about playing G.A.A. in Europe and they smile

patronisingly and give you that look that says, ‘isn’t that cute’. As

well as they try to hide it, the majority of people are dismissive of the whole thing.

Journalists are getting great mileage out of it of late, lauding the

number of non-Irish taking up the game and the increased playing

numbers. They write about it in a social, rather than sporting context and that annoys a little.

Standards have increased a lot since I landed in 2005 but that is

never the focus and without such focus, the game in Europe will never

gain credibility at home.

Against that backdrop, one couldn’t possibly describe or make you

understand the feeling in our camp after winning this year’s

Championship.

To say the week that followed was hectic would be an understatement.

From the Saturday through the following Sunday, the lads were fairly

well on it every day. The banter and planning on the ‘whatsapp’ group

was frantic.

I ended up missing it all on account of work. In truth, if I was

willing to push the boat out, I could have definitely joined a

night or two. I had a strange feeling afterwards though.

The moment we won on Saturday was immense but I was half conscious of

trying to make that feeling last as long as possible. A hangover was

only going to dampen it.

With that said, I also had a feeling of job done, move on. I don’t

mean that in the Roy Keane sense of things. Winning the Championship

this year was like a monkey off the back and to be rid of the monkey

felt like a massive relief and I just wanted to escape the whole scene for a while.

Bar a few months in 2011, I’ve basically been non-stop involved since

we started on March 1, 2008.  There’s no point in hiding the fact I

was fairly intense about the whole thing and that was nearly every day for five years. In that time, it felt like there were far more downs than ups and plenty of times I wanted to pack it in.

Winning in Maastricht and knowing I’d be moving on in January, albeit

temporarily, gave a kind of closure to the whole thing. I was ready

and happy to walk away this year. Winning just made sure I didn’t takeso many frustrations with me.

I did enjoy watching the lads tear the ass out of it though. All along you’d be trying to convince fellas that the feeling they’d get from winning would far outweigh the time and money they’d invest. To see them feeling it and enjoying it to the max was great.

That brings me to my main point. How can something which people at

home find so difficult to understand, mean so much to lads over here?

I’ll start with an easier one though.

A while ago, I was having a chat with Dad about the great spirit and togetherness we have amongst the lads. I was telling him the efforts fellas go to, to keep in touch even after they leave. I’m closer, in the sense of keeping in touch,to lads that I may have only played with for six months here, than lads I would have played with for six or more years at home.

Dad hit the nail on the head when he reasoned that it was because the

group was far more homogenous than the one I’d be playing with at

home.

It’s an easy comparison to make and indeed, it quickly gives the

answer. Playing at home, you could conceivably have lads as far as

twenty years apart in age. Students, tradesmen, professionals,

unemployed. Married, parent, single. It’s a huge range of people and

backgrounds.

The furthest the lads here would be apart is in terms of where they

are from; Belfast and Cork is probably the longest stretch! Generally,

we are all ‘professionals’, in the same age bracket, living away from

home. Few are married and those with girlfriends wouldn’t be so

plentiful. In terms of having family to rely on, as sappy as it

sounds, each of us is a close as we have to it here.

We travel around Europe to tournaments and on an assortment of other

excursions by plane, train and car. Those trips bring the group even

closer. In the end, I guess, you can say we become ‘one’.

That explains the first bit but why does the G.A.A. and particularly

winning, strike such a cord.

Whatever you do, if you take it seriously, invest your time and most

importantly, have to find ways to get the best out of yourselves to

succeed, you are guaranteed to feel satisfied if and when you reach

your goal.

They are the two factors I suppose; togetherness and effort.

What is most pleasing when we have had success is how the whole group

gets caught up in it. The entire panel, Shield and Championship, have

been buzzing for the last few weeks. I can relate to that in the sense that I’d easily rank the Shield win in Limerick last year as one of the highlights of my time here, despite not being involved on the pitch.

The lads will never forget how they felt for the last few weeks.

At this stage, if my issues were my ‘demons’, they are fairly well

dealt with now. On Saturday we will have our end of year dinner. Over one hundred will attend. That should be as memorable a night as any in the last few weeks.

Bring on a final bout of back slapping.

Ladies Triumphant, Shield Progressing

There were two other stories to catch up on from the final weekend in Maastricht two weekends ago.

The first is our Ladies. They were going for their own ‘drive for five’ this year.

The structure of the ladies competitions changed this year, going from six pan-euro rounds to mirror the lads’ structure. The early part of the season was regionalised and the Championship would be played out over three Pan-Euro rounds.

It didn’t really work for Benelux with only Holland and themselves competing in the region. As a result the early part of the season was a bit disjointed and it was also reflected in their training, with attendance dipping.

What they did learn in the first few months was that Holland were becoming a force to be reckoned with. If that needed any confirmation it came in Copenhagen when the girls had to fight tooth and nail for victory. A late Aisling Fenton point won it on the day.

Fortunes were reversed in Vienna when Holland turned them over by a point.

This set-up a winner takes all final weekend in Maastricht. Whilst always appearing in control of the final, the girls couldn’t pull away as Holland burst a gut to dethrone the champions. However, with Ciara and Caragh fairly unmarkable up front, they were not to be denied. Only a point or two separated them in the end.

This was by far the girls’ best win to date as they really had to earn each final win. They also had to play chunks of the season without regulars such as Caragh, Sinead and Ciara.

The quality of the final was the highest I’ve seen in the five years they’ve been in action so that really must make it the sweetest of them all. Well done on their success.

While all that was going on, the Shield team was battling away on another one of Maastricht’s magnificent pitches.

Wins against Amsterdam B, Clermont and Rennes meant they topped a group despite a loss to Dusseldorf. That’s no mean feat and shouldn’t be underestimated.

I’ve said it a million times but to be able to compete as a second team against other club’s first teams is a fantastic achievement in its own right. All those teams will have a sprinkling of players who would grace any side, Shield or Championship.

However, the pick of the Shield is always in danger of a call-up to the Championship panel and that proved the case before this tournament.

Pearce is probably their main man but with a mini injury crisis in the Championship panel, we had no choice but to call him up.

Johnny and Conor Mull have done a fantastic job keeping the lads on the go and topping the group was a good reward. They fell short against a strong Liffre outfit in the quarter final but there was no shame in that.

It’s a big challenge to get a steady commitment out of the lads. A lot play for pure recreation but a lot do everything in their powers to win. It’s a hard balance to strike. This year’s panel definitely has a couple of notches to go up and with a greater amount of application, they will close the gap.

In 2013, the Shield should be looking towards success in Benelux as their priority. A good run there would give a massive confidence boost heading for the Pan-Euros.

With the winter upon us, there’s plenty of time to be chewing on that.

Why was this year different?

1 - Different voices

I knew early in the year that I was likely to be away for 2013. I wanted to enjoy the year and I needed to start planning for when I was gone. That meant getting more guys on board and comfortable with different jobs.

Early in the year, Diarmuid Laffan planned and took a lot of the preseason running.

From May onwards, when Ross got injured, he came on board to help run the sessions. This was probably the single biggest help to me.

Cormac Kirwan, an Irish Army man with a serious pedigree came in to help with the training during the summer. He had a big influence, especially in terms of showing lads what the expectation at training should be in terms of intensity.

Timmy, Mull and Johnny P started to do a lot of Collie B’s (who was also planning to step down) donkey work.

The lads didn’t know we were going to be leaving/stepping down until September but everything we were doing before that had an eye on next year.

It was also about getting them to take ownership of the whole thing. With ownership comes responsibility and with that comes greater care for something. It was bound to be worth something.

On tournament days, mainly towards the end of the year, myself, Ross and Timmy would agree who would talk when, so we could keep things fresh. We also used Laffan a lot.

Different voices, different impacts.

Maybe in summary, it was simpler than that. Maybe it was just that I chilled out a bit, listened more, delegated more and trusted more.

2 - Change of tact

We went from defend, survive, consolidate to a more risky plan of taking on lads man to man and trusting each other to do our jobs.

We went from a plan that gave lads plenty of places to hide. We used get numbers behind the ball and you were rarely in danger of getting skinned as someone was always close by to support. We were going to win shag all like that. There was a limited attacking element to that plan. It wasn't easy for lads to give it up though. They felt comfortable in that system and getting them out of their comfort zone was tough.

We had to make the change though and it was most apparent in Copenhagen. The players couldn't play to the system. It just didn't suit.

There was no great revolution. We simply told guys they needed to man up and be prepared to win the one on one duels on their own. The best example was against Guernsey in the Vienna final. Keary and Crusher were isolated in the full back line, with huge spaces in front of them. They weren't going to get any help and just had to get on with it.

For two months, we geared every single exercise at training towards man-to-man marking. It wasn't easy or comfortable but it was physical and intense. It was repetitive but we intentionally didn’t bring much variation to things.

In the end, if you don't rehearse, you won't perform. We rehearsed to death.

3 - Detailed preparation

For the last two tournaments we distributed a two page document to the players the week of the tournament.

The first laid out our tactics. This was plain and simple. There was one plan with a few minor tweaks to cater for certain situations. There was no plan B and we were up front about that. We had rehearsed one way how to play and to flip it on the day wasn't going to be possible. The lads knew how effective it was and knew if they stuck to it, we had our best chance of getting a reward.

The tweaks were a safety net and available to us if necessary but the principles would not change. Man to man, 1 v 1, win the battle.

There can be a tendency for guys to throw ideas out there when it’s not going your way in tournaments. It’s just noise though and if you think you can just turn one thing off and another thing on at the drop of a hat, you are kidding yourself. We killed those notions.

The second document detailed our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. It also included how or who we would use to counter/expose them.

Why was this different? Because it spelled out what was expected of everyone.

4 – Buy in

We talked about this a lot.

The lads were very involved in deciding the tactics this year. I took the heat after Copenhagen for getting them wrong but that was just because I thought it would be easier to shake it off and move on. In reality we had decided together but I thought that was the fastest way to kill it.

Everyone got on the same page afterwards. Everyone realised that we had to choose a different, more ambitious direction and back it to its death. It didn’t always come easy. Some guys missed chunks of training and weren’t able to get up to speed as quickly as we would have liked but in the end, we got there.

The final round proved we had that buy in. We trailed in a number of games but not once did someone come into a team talk and try to reinvent the wheel or even slightly panic.

We just stuck to the plan.

5 – Bond

To be fair, it has never been a problem in the club. Leveraging it to its maximum is always the challenge though. I often felt we didn’t get enough value for it on the pitch.

This group (the entire panel, Championship and Shield) is particularly close. A lot of the lads live together or close by. Some work together. Nearly all socialise exclusively together. Lynchy is about the only one with a foot in the ‘alternative Irish’ camp.

That has its downside too. The lads did a fair lash of drinking this year and it contributed to a few fairly lacklustre Monday night training sessions. I bit my tongue more often than not but I had my concerns about the impact on their fitness.

There was something just a little bit tighter this year though. I think the sessions in Copenhagen, Vienna and Bratislava contributed massively to that too.

Did we leverage it in a different way? I guess it’s hard to say. If you saw Laffan’s ankle on Saturday, you would have told him head off to hospital. It was a wreck. He hobbled around most of the day as we battled through. He got strapped and togged again for the final and came on to play a very influential role, maybe not necessarily on the ball but his presence on the pitch was huge.

From my side, I can say for certain that when I was cramped up on the ground in the second half, all that was going through my head was I had to get up and just run, run and run some more and just get through it and make a contribution to the team.

Timmy, as only he could get away with, probably summed up the togetherness in this group best, ending his acceptance speech with a dollop of man love; “I love ye all” he roared! There is serious friendship in this bunch.

In the end, were all of the above so much different to last year? No, probably not. But we did move on and claw a few more inches in all the areas mentioned. In the end, those inches made all the difference.

Amen.

With Timmy's late goal on Saturday, a massive weight lifted from the shoulders.

We won the Championship in 2008, our first year. Pure ecstasy. Once you get a taste of it, you want more. When you don't get it, you become frustrated. We've sunk some amount of time, money and graft into the last four years to do everything we could to get it back.

If ever a man deserved to have the final say in the destination of the Championship, it was our captain Tim Donovan. He had his jaw broken in the first tournament of the season in a fairly horrible incident against The Hague. He struggled with a groin injury mid-summer and broke a finger after Copenhagen.

Every time we've needed him this year though, he has come up trumps. On Saturday he rescued a fairly bleak situation in the final against Guernsey when he went on a solo mission into their defence late in the game to strike gold. It gave us a one point advantage that was enough to win the game and the overall Championship by the same margin.

Jesus, what a day.

We went into the tournament without two of our best players, Cillian and Shaun. We called Pearce up from the Shield panel. I like Pearce a lot but he drives me bonkers because he is so relaxed. Getting him to play within a structure is a near impossible task. I got fairly p1ssed off with him at training a couple of weeks ago and may have suggested he'd be better off not coming training if he wasn't going to buy into the way things were going to be done. Water off a ducks back I feared.

Then he rocked up at the in-house game the following Saturday and took Giller for a tour of the VUB. He ran well, marked well and moved the ball through his hands calmly. He'd put himself in the shop window without even realising.

Amsterdam were first up at the weekend. They were fairly pumped. We were in a bit of a hole in the first half but fought savagely for every ball in the second. Timmy struck for the decisive scores and we grabbed a one point win.

Luxembourg were next. To say it was a sour game is probably an understatement. The first ball I played was a hand pass and as I went to take a return pass I was knocked to the ground. That's where it all started and it rumbled on and on. There were verbals, niggles and sly digs throughout. It boiled over in the second half and hands up, I was lucky not to be sent off. I reacted to some provocation after one of their scores and got in a tangle. I felt it was 50/50 in the sense that the opposition player was as responsible. Fortunately the referee agreed.

Minutes later Lux had a man sent off which considering the previous incident, completely enraged them. I didn't see it but they weren't happy. Everything was going our way. They took a fast free and goaled but the ref called it back as the whistle hadn't gone. We kept our lead and closed the game out.

The rivalry against Lux has intensified since last year. I'm not sure where it has come from on their side. We have a lot of respect for their club but some in theirs don't seem to share that for us. There was the incident in Guernsey last year when we lined up a free and one of their players roared, "we're not going to lose to a sh1t team". Then in Copenhagen, they said in the team talk that they weren't going to lose "to a bunch of prima donnas who never win anything". I don’t know where they take their win/lose stats from.

Up next were The Hague. This is always a weird fixture. Often, we have struggled most when they are missing key players. I much prefer playing them at full strength as a result. They had pretty much everyone on Saturday and took an early lead. I can remember shag all from this game except we again scrapped through by two points.
Compared to Vienna, we were scoring at a miserly rate, maybe an average of 1-6. After 17 goals the last day, it was clear our opponents took the necessary countermeasures.

That result qualified us for the final but we still had a game left against Guernsey. This was an opportunity to knock them out and thus claim the Championship. Also, waiting in the wings were Amsterdam who, if we won the game, would qualify for the final.

Myself, Ross and Timmy discussed how to go at this game. We had lost Laffan in the Lux game to an ankle ligament injury and he could barely walk. I'd picked up Lynchy at the physio that morning and he was struggling. My back and hammers were roaring at me. We both needed a break.

Also, we wanted to keep our cards close to our chest heading into the final, meaning we didn't want to reveal too much of our plan.

With all that said, the team talk was focused on winning the game but at the same time testing one or two things out. Guernsey had put a big man in full forward during the day and our mighty midget defence had no natural counter to it. We decided to put Ger in full back. We gave Karl a man marking job.

In the first couple of minutes, Crusher picked up a nasty hip injury so I had to come on. By half-time the game was getting beyond us. To preserve the legs but keep some energy on the pitch I went in goal and Shane came out. That worked well as he fetched a load of kick-outs. The game was over though.

I felt for Amsterdam but I hope they can understand the approach we had to take.

The lads were fairly down after that result and I'm sure some doubt crept in. My take on it was simple. There was only one way to finish the 2012 Championship and that was to play Guernsey in a winner takes all finale. Winning the Championship in any other way couldn't be the same.

We learned some valuable things from that last group game. Ger was now an option at full back. Karl was more than capable of doing a man marking job. Maybe most crucially, we saw the effectiveness of their keepers’ big kick-out. They used it to by-pass everyone and hit their full forward line directly. It needed thought.

We picked the team to once again counter their key men, with the belief that we could win the other battles.

We made a ballsy enough decision on their kick-outs. Plan B on the opposing teams kick-outs is to 'concede' them. We did this last year when we were getting beaten at midfield. On Saturday, we pulled our full forward line out to cluster the middle of the field. By doing so we were taking a risk - allow them have more possession but in a less dangerous part of the pitch.

Guernsey flew out of the traps and nailed a goal in the opening minutes, adding a point shortly afterwards. We'd been in the same situation before. In Copenhagen, we couldn't come back from it but in Vienna we had. I mentioned in a blog a couple of weeks ago that belief comes from having been there and done it. I wasn't rattled and no-one else seemed to be panicking either.

That wasn't reflected in our shooting as we kicked away a shed load of chances. We were defending well though and managed to get to half-time trailing by just two points, 1-2 to 0-3.

The kick-out plan was working in the sense that they weren't piling ball down on top of us. Once their full back line received the ball, we stepped up immediately to pressure them. They had more possession but were turning over more ball in key areas. I've no idea how the second half scoring went. Someone said we were five points down at one stage and two points down with a couple of minutes on the clock.

Timmy’s moment had arrived. They cleared their lines under pressure. I couldn't get to it before the bounce but managed to get my hands on it. I just about released a hand pass before being clung and then Timmy took off. As he cut in, he lost control slightly but managed to get a hand on the ball and steady it enough to connect with his foot. In she went!

Bodies were falling everywhere with cramp. Guernsey were pouring forward looking for an equaliser.

It's hard to describe to people how your body feels towards the end of a tournament. Standing up is a mission, never mind trying to kick a point. Guersney came at us but tiredness must have been a factor. Their radar was off and time ran out on them.

The whistle finally arrived. Three blows of it with the last one trailing off to bring to game to a finish. A quest that has lasted four seasons coming to an end in the most dramatic fashion possible.

If you could choose how to write the story then that is the only way you would want it.

Of course, one must spare a thought for Guernsey. Given the logistics involved for them to participate, their commitment is insane. Over three tournaments this year, we have fought tooth and nail with them. There have been some big hits along the way but it has been one of the most 'manly' rivalries I've experienced in Europe. I have a huge amount of respect for the way those lads carry themselves, both in victory but more tellingly, in defeat.

One point in the final, one point in the overall standings. After 14 games in the 2012 Pan-European Championship, 5 against Guernsey, that was what separated us in the end.

What a year.

Later in the week....”Why this year was different”.

'Big Year' Reaches Climax

As early as January, I was banging the table about this being a 'big year'. I think it started at a party in Maria and Irene's, downstairs in my apartment building. The lads were all there and we were 'well on it'. I'd done my players in/out forecasting and it was clear we would be at our strongest come September. I had started to beat the drum early.

It became nearly a running joke as the year progressed. We all knew there was something in the logic but there's a big gap between January and September especially when you know you are going to be shipping your share of blows along the way.

Nearly exactly ten months on, we arrive at the day and the goal which gave the 'big year' its meaning.

I'd be lying if I said the last month went fantastically smoothly. Injuries and work commitments have disrupted our preparations. This is the nature of the beast though and every club faces the same issues. We finished off this week with two very good sessions and head into the weekend on a positive note.

One of the challenges the week of a tournament is what and how much to say to lads. The tendency can be to use the opportunity to talk just to release your own tension. The added value of what you say will be minimal though and may have more of a negative effect if it just gets lads wound up i.e. they may not be able to relax/sleep properly.

Our game plan is simple and we work on it every night. Our motivation for the weekend is crystal clear. What really needed to be said?

Timmy brought things together nicely at the end of the session last night and no more was needed.

I expect competition will be tough. I see The Hague have had upwards of ten transfers in the last month. Amsterdam will have lads coming back for the weekend and Lux should be at full strength. Guernsey, on their secluded island off the north of France, will have put in massive preparation I'm sure. Whoever wins this weekend will certainly have to earn it.

The Shield go into battle with a strong panel. This competition has exploded, with around 18 teams competing. It annoys me how so many teams rock up for the last tournament (when they didn't attend any others) and skew the competition. I'd be in favour of creating a third tier competition and placing those teams in that.

Credit to the board though, they did make one change by adding a plate competition to it. It means top two go into Shield QF and 3rd/4th into Plate QF.

The lads will be looking for a big finish. The season has been a real roller coaster and they will be hoping to finish on a high. Key to a good performance will be to keep the goal count down.

On the ladies side, the competition is also set-up for a grand finale. Our ladies are going for five in a row but are deadlocked with Holland ladies after two rounds. If the girls pull this one off it will be the hardest one yet and the most satisfying.

Training finished up last night and it was very hard to get lads off the pitch. This season hasn’t felt as long as others and we haven’t had periods where we got sick of it like we may have had in the past. Leaving last night, we realise there will be a hole in our lives in the next few months. Saturday is all about making sure we have something to talk about to fill in that spare time!

Countdown To Maastricht

You can't beat this time of year. County Finals happening all over the country. Every day, the papers are full of great stories about the clubs and individuals involved.

I only played in one, against Ilen Rovers in 2001. I've told the story of the game and the context previously so won't go over old ground.

The run-in to such a game is a fantastic experience. The parochial nature of G.A.A. makes for a fiercely intense build up. If I remember correctly, we had a few weeks between our semi-final win against Adrigole and our date with Ilen.

Lots of things happen between the semi and the final. Signs and bunting are put up around the town. You have people up watching training. There is the media night. There'll be someone from the Divisional Board come down and give you a ‘motivational’ talk at training. You can expect a bit of new gear along the way too.

Generally speaking, all anyone around town wants to talk to you about is the match - team selections, form, injuries etc.

As a player, you'd have been following the teams progressing through the championship. You'd know their form inside out. I was in UCC at the time and the GAA network there would make sure you were well informed.

We knew from day one that to win a County that year, we would have to beat Ilen. Their team was high profile with nearly all of them having represented Cork at some level. Belief is key in that situation. You just have to be completely convinced that you are up to the job. That's not something which you can switch on and off. It is built up on the journey to the final.

That year, we'd come through some massive battles, all the way from the first round against Valleys. We scraped and fought through each round. We overturned a 0-7 to 0-1 half time deficit in the South-East final against Courcies. We beat Mitchelstown in a replay and then toppled a fancied Adrigole side in the Semi. That is where the belief comes from, knocking teams down, one by one.

Final day throws some last minute distractions into the mix. The programme has a few more pages than normal. The warm-up can be thrown off kilter by having a curtain raiser. Then there is the pipe band. Jesus, the first beat of the drum always sends a shiver down my spine. National anthem. The whistle to start the game and before you know it your hearing it again to bring a close to proceedings.

What happens it between is linked to a lot of things; how you've prepared mentally and physically, how you've managed your nerves, how you've been able to focus in on the game plan and your role in that, whether you truly believe you can do it, whether you are really, truly willing to push yourself to your very limits and of course, whether you were good enough.

We ticked a lot of those boxes in '01, led at half-time but simply couldn't live with their class in the end.

We don't have a County Final as such in Europe. The Championship is played over three rounds with a tournament format in each round. Points are awarded depending on where you place. Based on results, ourselves and Guernsey are the main contenders. Maastricht in two weeks time, is the closest we have to a County Final.

The lads are enjoying the run in now. I’d stepped away from the social side of things for much of the year but since the Pan-Euros got going, I've pretty much just thrown myself into everything. In five years, I've never seen a group with such a bond – across both panels.

For the first time in a couple of years we are in with a shout of winning it out. We don't need to be warned that Maastricht promises to be the most competitive round in the history of the Pan-Euros. Everyone will arrive loaded and with eyes on finishing the season on a high.

I read a good quote from the Castlehaven manager in the build up to the Cork County Final yesterday. He said you don't go to a County Final just to march behind the band. The sentiment was simple and clear. Forget everything else and focus on the job in hand.

Just under two weeks and four sessions to go now...

Vienna Win Opens Door

It’s important to remember that in defeat, you’re probably never as bad as it seems and similarly, in victory, you’re probably never quite as good as some may lead you to believe.

The Shield team finished 8 out of 9 on Saturday. It was hard to imagine after a thunderous start against Paris/Lyon when they fired over points for fun. Soon after, holes began to open up and once again, the concession of goals derailed their challenged. A difficult day for the lads but there were positives in the play and the return of some key men in Maastricht should steady the ship.

At the other end of the scale, the Championship panel won the round in whirlwind fashion.

I must have subconsciously parked a few realities in the back of my mind over the last few years. No Pan-Euro win since Maastricht 2008 and no final appearance since Budapest 2010. We didn't put our hands on a Benelux trophy since June 2011. That's a lot of foraging with little reward.

Heading into Saturday we had a lot of injuries; broken fingers, bust thumbs, damaged ankles, bruised ribs, bruised feet (!)... Shaun, our one 'x-factor' type player had to pull out last week but the biggest concern was the amount of training some guys had missed. Gill, Cillain and Ger in particular but also Timmy and one or two others. If you are trying to beat something into lads’ heads, they have to be there to do it!

The unpredictability of the football competitions this year has made for some very interesting days out. In Benelux, the difference between a good day and a bad day more often than not come down to points difference. We missed out on our share of finals due to this.

Saturday was just one of those days everything fell into place. Our plan was painfully simple and relied purely on the honesty of the lads in terms of buying into the jobs they were asked to do and sticking at them to the death. I'd seen a quote a few weeks ago saying how hard it is to beat someone who never gives up. It bounced around my head since and was what we were looking for out of lads at the weekend.

Our first three wins against Lux, Amsterdam and The Hague looked impressive on paper but don't tell the whole story. Lux were in total control in the first half, leading 0-5 to 0-2 at H/T. Timmy was our game changer, grabbing the first ball of the second half and forcing a point chance into a goal. We kicked on from there.

An early penalty against The Hague could have rattled withus but we weren't ruffled and proceeded calmly and efficiently.

By the time we caught Amsterdam their resources were stretched. Still, they ran strongly from deep to create a lot of chances which required a fair amount of last ditch defending. Aided by two penalties, we brought our goal tally to ten in three games and booked our place in the final. The only downside was a dead leg picked up by Brian Hurley in the build up to one of those goals.

The result didn't render the Guernsey game meaningless though. We had an opportunity to knock them out of the competition, which could only help our overall Championship aspirations.

As you would expect of a team of their quality, they raced out of the traps! We found ourselves 10 points down before we blinked. A few mentioned afterwards that there was a moment at that stage when they thought it better to conserve energy for the final and just go through the motions in defeat.

Then Darragh Cotter nailed a goal and before we knew it, we were level, thanks in part to an amount of first half injury time that would have had Alex Ferguson smiling from ear to ear.

However, we inexplicably we handed a six point lead to them in the second half. We worked our way back and got a free with time nearly up to level. Utilising the rolling subs rule, we sprung Cillian to slot it over and I thought a draw had been secured. Not so. Down a point again within seconds. It was left to Player of the Tournament Diarmuid Laffan to nail the equaliser with practically the last kick.

With the way results went, Guernsey would still get to the final thanks to an Amsterdam win against The Hague in the final group game. Bizarelly, Lux, who were in the final in Copenhagen and beat Guernsey on Saturday, ended up rooted to the bottom of the table. That says it all really!

One of the biggest differences on Saturday compared to other tournaments was that we had really gone for it in every game. In the past, we were managing injuries, fitness, game time etc, trying to get the balance right and make the final. We went balls out on Saturday though and wanted to win every game. Ross did very well on the line, reading situations well and being ruthless enough with his substitutions. Some guys went starved of game time for a while but all were brought in at the right times and made important impacts.

Myself, himself and Tim were picking the team and it went very smoothly, with each of us happy to concede ground to the majority where necessary.

Playing Guernsey in the final probably wasn't ideal in most lads' heads. We hadn't really threatened to beat them in the last couple of years but I thought with one or two positional switches, we could correct some of the issues we had faced in the group game. In addition, they were struggling to get their game going on the day whilst we had put some very good passages together.

The game itself felt a bit bizarre. The lights were on and the dew had set in. The pitch was magnificent, saved all day for the Shield and Championship finals.

We'd avoided the nightmare start which categorised our previous battles and settled well. I can't remember what we led by at half-time but it can't have been more than a point or two. Any time we had a lead during the day, Timmy started banging on about winning the second half before we could even hear the score read out. It kept us very focused to keep going forward and not start to sit back on the lead.

My memory of the second half is sketchy. We got a goal, they got a goal. I asked the ref how long was left and he told me six and a half minutes. I felt tense at that point but the lads' tails were up. Critically, our full back line of Crusher and Keary were winning their battles and for every ball they won, it seemed like it ended in a score at the other end. 3-11 to 1-2. It sounds like a stroll but we were under pressure to win every single ball in that game.

The lads did all that was asked of them all day. Some of the jobs that needed doing were fairly grim and would go against one's normal instincts but they carried them out manfully. From a 'mgmt/coaching' perspective, we were very satisfied that we had identified our shortcomings after Copenhagen and got some reward for the work over the last few weeks - remembering of course that you make all the right decisions when you win!!!

Guernseys' captain and their manager came into our dressing room afterwards to congratulate us and spoke very well. It's the done thing at home but I've never seen it in Europe. I thought it showed a touch of class on their behalf and was certainly appreciated by the lads. We weren't left in much doubt about their drive to correct things in time for Maastricht though!!

It leaves us and Guernsey a good bit ahead of the pack in terms of winning the overall Championship at the start of November. In previous year's you could safely predict in such a situation, we would be the teams to contest the final.

However, the noises coming from The Hague, Amsterdam and Lux on Saturday was that they are lining up an assault of their own. It promises to be the most dramatic finale to a Pan-Euro Championship yet. Every team is capable of beating each other. The difference between first and last will be minimal. It’ll all boil down to who remains most focused and who can best navigate their way through the choppy waters.

We've a bit of work to do ourselves. There were some holes in our performances on Saturday, both collectively and individually. Other teams will have seen our hand also. The next month will be about finding some more consistency but also adding one or two more aspects to our game.

On a personal level, it was one of the most satisfying days in a long while. I can't remember the last time I was able to play an entire tournament outfield. The frustration that caused was definitely effecting the enjoyment I was getting out of playing football and hurling. A big thanks to our physio Laura in that regard. She's patched up more than just myself in recent weeks and has been a big help.

Onwards to Maastricht now. It's a close you can get here to preparing for a County Final. It should be a fantastic month of training and one to be enjoyed.

Vienna

Vienna. A city with many a good memory for me. My parents lived there in the mid-noughties for the bones of four years and I got down there regularily enough. It ranks highly on my list of favourite cities. With that in mind, it was great to see it confirmed as one of the hosts of a Pan-Euro round this year.

All things considered, we head there in good shape. We had one drop out on Sunday but it still leaves us with 32 guys travelling and not a weekend transfer/ringer in sight. In five years I've never seen numbers like it for a tournament involving a flight and a day off work. Even for local tournaments, I could count on one hand the number of times we've had these kind of numbers.

In that group, we also have Mull and Ross who are injured but will manage the line on the day.

We learned a fair bit in Copenhagen and I referenced it in the post-tournament blog. We definitly made mistakes in the build up and on the day in terms of setting our game plan and adjusting where necessary. This is a fact of life and happens at every level.

In the Sunday Independent last weekend Kieran McGeeney put his hands up when talking about things he got wrong over the last couple of years. There is a time and a place to acknowledge things like that. In the high profile world of intercounty football, it can also help deflect the heat off the players.

Even in our context it is important. In Copenhagen, I was ok to take a chunk of the blame on my shoulders. The mood in the camp was good, the fitness was good. Those boxes were ticked but the most important one wasn't - lads clearly understanding their role.

That is a more complex thing to solve then it may seem. A player has many many roles in both attacking and defending situations, with and without the ball. Through exchanges with the lads I could identify over ten areas where we need to improve but you can't tackle everything at once.

With that in mind, we narrowed it down to a couple of key points in the last month. There is a temptation to move on and work on other things after a couple of sessions to 'freshen things up' but we stuck to our guns. Thursday will be our seventh session since Copenhagen with an in-house game bringing the number of gatherings to eight.

There is no need to bore you or benefit you with the details but we recognise a need to change our style of play and focus more on our strengths rather than protecting our weaknesses. We need to be more responsible individually and front up to the challenges we face, not relying on others to bail us out.

The plan is painfully simple but for the first time all year, it is has been beaten into lads over a consistent period.

We have ticked an important box that was left blank the last day, thus shifting the onus onto the players. Of course there will be calls to be made on the day but the better the plan is implemented by the players, the less challenging calls will have to be made.

It's win or bust at the weekend - real Championship.

Euro 7s Just Off Pace

I went home for the 7s a couple of weeks ago intent on enjoying the weekend whatever happened. I couldn't but feel a bit disappointed coming away from it though.

The weekend got off on a good note. Arriving at Dublin Airport shortly before 22h, I even treated myself to a taxi to the hotel. I was in with the Nordic duo Mal Kenna (Goteburg) and Niall Scullion (Stockholm). I knew Niall but not Mal - both turned out to be good company. Expecting the talkative Mr. Scullion to be one to ramble in his sleep, I had the ear plugs at hand. However, to my surprise, a silent night it was.

Shay has had us staying in the Louis Fitzgerald in Newlands Cross for the last two years. It’s handy to get to the pitches and they do a magnificent breakfast. We met up with the other lads in the hotel, Dec (Stockholm), Shay (Maastricht) and Corkman Michael Lynch (Malmo). The noon start meant we could relax and catch-up without any great rush.

At the pitch, we met up with the rest of the lads; Conor McGugh & Aireey Cleary (Guernsey), Danny Cravan & James Flavin (Hague) and Brian Stokes & Mark O'Kane (Stockhom). It’s always a tough situation to be thrown into, even more so having crossed swords just a week previous in Copenhagen.

Up first were St. Judes, big scorers in their first game and clearly well drilled in the nuances of the 7s game.

The first couple of minutes were a horror show. Straight from the throw in they fired a rocket in over my head. I barely had my gloves on!! I was pissed off because I would have definitely saved it later in the day but I was like a rabbit in the headlights for that one.

We settled thereafter and despite being totally out of sync with 7s tactics, we were managing to keep in touch. We'd lined up in nearly a 2-2-2 formation and it was killing us. The lads at the back were getting exposed continuously and they got a share of goals from balls over the top in 2v1 situations.

Through sheer endeavour we found ourselves leading by a point in the second half. We had a goal chance when I made my way into some traffic around their 20m line. The hand pass in was slightly over my head but catchable all the same. I didn't think I'd be afforded the time to pull it down and with Michael Lynch bearing down I looked to palm it into his path. If that comes off it looks fantastic. If it doesn't you look like a complete prick. I did a good job of impersonating the latter. Should. Know. Better.

Our defensive frailties caught up with us with the concession of a couple more goals and in the end we lost a lively shoot out 5-4 to 3-5. Bad start but considering how far we were away from playing a suitable system, it felt fixable.

Shay and Niall pulled us in and their reflections were on the ball. The system was adjusted and we had a quick turnaround to face Shercock of Cavan. We looked a different team as we battened down the hatches at the back and created plenty of chances up front. It still wasn't smooth though and we were struggling to turn possession into scores. Poor shot selection and slow movement of the ball into scoring positions meant we did not capitalise. I think the game finished something like 1-7 to 0-6.

Things were getting serious at this stage in the sense that even qualifying for the Shield was coming into some doubt. We would play Bredagh of Down in the third game. They're the home club of our very own Paddy Cassidy so I was eager to go home having thought them a lesson. It was looking good too for a long period. We were getting up a head of steam, lads were carrying out their roles effectively and the communication was up. Standing in goal I had the best view of it all and it was clear our understanding of the game was increasing.

We led from the off and by 4 points in the closing minutes. Inexplicably we managed to concede 1-1 in the last couple of minutes. The equalising point was particularly annoying. Down one end, Aireey was blatantly tripped - the referee waved away our protests with his standard response of, 'sure, ye're all at it'! - Bredagh broke and pointed from a free. We had a free with the last kick to win it but it was not to be. 1-7 to 1-7.

The score line against Shercock and Bredagh were uncharacteristically low for 7s. We had great discipline in defence but it also showed some attacking issues. Our interplay up there wasn't as smooth. Defending you can just park the bus which is pretty easy to do. However, when you attack, the team play comes into it more and the unfamiliarity was showing a bit which was natural.

Our final game of the group was a must win against a Wicklow team with a complicated name. Together with Bredagh we were all vying for a spot in the Shield. A tactical masterstroke saw us set-up camp in the top goal, in hope the other team would just agree to 'play as we are' giving us the hill and the wind in the opening half. It worked and all at once it clicked and we gave them a proper hiding - three goals in it in the end and third spot secured.

We hadn't played anyone that I felt had better footballers than us. Judes looked to be the best team in it and I reckon if we played them again we would have been more than up to it. We were ready for a serious tilt at the Shield.

The quarter-final was a game against a Limerick side. I think they were called Herbstown Hospital. The scores flowed and we headed for the semi.

There we would play O'Donnells of Belfast. We'd beaten them convincingly last year at the same stage but remembered well that they were a particularly mouthy and unsavoury bunch of Belfast lads. 0-5 to 0-1 at half-time - thank you very much. Their heads appeared gone and we looked sorted. Maybe that got in our heads and brought some complacency.

They goaled just after the break and it gave them a serious boost. We just imploded. It’s hard to put the finger on it. Even after the goal, their keeper pulled off two incredible saves which would have given us enough breathing space to close it out. After the second they stormed down to raise the green flag again. We were chasing the game, something you don't want to be doing in your sixth game of the day. They deserved their win after such a comeback but it was a bitter pill to swallow.

There in lies the disappointment. We had a serious team, plenty of assistance on the line too. It's an 'if' that isn't worth mentioning but I will - if we had some match practice, specifically 7s, together prior to the tournament, then we would give the Championship a serious rattle, never mind the Shield. That's impossible though so I guess the key is to have some consistency in the panel year on year with one or two fresh faces brought in. As one of the lads mentioned after, playing in the Maastricht 7s in August would be a big help too.

Overall it’s a great weekend if you go at it with the right attitude. We didn’t do as well as we would have liked at the football but we had good craic over the course of the weekend and it was good to get to know some of the lads, especially those from outside Benelux who you would not know so well.

7up

Euro 7s. This is the third year we have entered a team and the whole thing is motoring along with scary efficiency.

The panel was picked by end of July. The hotel was booked. The flights refunded. With the exception of one or two injury withdrawals we appear in good shape.

Timmy played two years ago and we were talking about it on the way home in the car from training last night. We reckon that panel had 5 Hague lads and 4 Belgium lads. The quality was there but whatever way we dress it up, we probably aren't two clubs who are overly enamoured with eachother. Its funny enough looking back that we actually all agreed to it!! It was the first year though and the lads had to pull it together fairly last minute. It was hoped the familiarity would bring some benefit but we didn't click.

Last year, Shay (Euro Football Officer) who is also a referee on the 'circuit' pulled together a much more varied panel representing many clubs. On paper the team did not seem as strong but the chemistry was right from the off and we lost narrowly in the Shield final after an epic seven game run.

This year looks to be the strongest team yet but again but you can't read a whole lot into that. Guernsey, Stockholm and Hague are well represented whilst Belgium and Malmo complete the group.

The 7s game has grown on me and I'm looking forward to this weekend. Its one of the rare occassions I can just rock up and play ball without having to consider anything else.

The noon start time is also a welcome change. We played our first game at 9am last week!

Naturally there will be a few pints afterwards and it will be a good opportunity to catch up with the former Belgium contingent based in Dublin as well as the current players heading home for the All-Ireland.

Hopefully we will have a shiny medal to show off to them.

Down But Not Out

We own third. I hate third. Third generally means you either weren't good enough or that you made a balls out of something along the way. Third allows you a way out though, it can gloss over the mistakes of the day and send you away from the tournament at least on a positive note (means you won a 3rd/4th game). Repeated thirds can breed some sense of complacency.

Last year I could better stomach thirds. It was a small victory for consolidation. This year I hate third. It is meaningless and two spots away from where I believe we can be. I hate the word and all that goes with it.

On Saturday, the Championship panel rocked up close to full strength. We started with a victory over Stockholm, 2-5 to 0-4, after a shaky start against stubborn opposition. We followed that by blitzing Amsterdam in the first half against a gale force wind, striking 1-3 without reply. We closed out for a 7 point win.

Then the wheels came off. We suffered a blitzkrieg in reverse, being whipped by the Hague - six points was the gap at the end. It sent them ahead of us to top the group on points difference (they had earlier lost to Amsterdam). We came second with A'dam losing out on points.

We badly wanted to win the group to try and get an 'easier' draw in the semi i.e. 2nd place from the other group. Instead we would face off against Guernsey, impressive winners last year and looking good again this year.

I felt very down after the Hague game and was struggling to shake it. I was coming at it from two sides.

One was my own performance. I'd skipped the Stockholm game, played a half against Amsterdam and then came on in the second half against Hague. I was still struggling with a dead leg and was preserving myself in the hope we would be in the shake up at the business end of the day. Dead leg aside, my back, hamstring and achilles can't start play a 9am and finish at 6pm anymore. They've just had too much wear and tear over the years.

Against the Hague, I let my man roam too deep unattended and they were able to launch attacks successfully from there. I should have known better. Last week, in an in-house game, I sought Paddy out to mark. I wanted the challenge of marking a runner. He played the exact same way and orchestrated every attack. I let him go deep and pick up ball, deciding to drop in front of the full back line as cover. However, it created the opportunity for an overlap out the field and problems for the lads. Paddy was the main difference between the teams whilst I had minimal impact on our team.

The second one nearly ate me up more. Tactically we are all over the shop and the buck for that rests with me. Last year, we religously rehearsed our half court press at training and it was very effective. Fellas loved knowing what was expected of them and we were relentless in our approach.

This year we have a better team and we wanted to be more attack minded. Early on in Benelux we experimented but it was tough because we were always down a lot of guys so never had a strong enough hand to pull it off. We ended up reverting to the half-court press but didn't dedicate enough time at training to it. The new players don't understand the nuances of it and as a result it breaks down.

Whether I take the training on a given night or not, I give the direction and the message hasn't been consistent or clear in recent months. We're no longer sure how we play.

Last year I was preaching about believing in our system. There would be periods in games when teams would get on top but we were not to panic. Whatever way you play, that will happen. Keep believing in it and stick to the plan. No-one deviated.

This year though, we have become somewhat rudderless and I am supposed to steer the ship in that regard. I was very down. I could hear everyone saying that we were still in it and that we needed to lift it for the semi but the message was taking its time to get through to me.

As I said, part of last year’s plan was about calm and structure, no ranting or raving. We needed a quick fix now though and we needed to get back to basics. No more long ball, no more changing our style of play depending on the wind. Work the ball up the field quickly, support the man in possession.
Most of all though, understand where our motivation lay. To win we knew we would more than likely face Guernsey at some point. With them being defending champions, it was an easier game to get up for mentally than if we had played Luxembourg. Meaning no disrespect, we are sick of the sight of them and the other Benelux teams and it could have been more difficult to find the motivation.

Ross took over for the warm-up and everyone was buzzing. I never remember such a lively and energised warm-up at that stage of a tournament.

Then there was a bang. Within two minutes we were 1-1 down, playing into a massive wind. It was a colossal blow to ship but it didn't look like it took anything out of the lads. If you have to concede a goal, what better time than in the first minute. You have the whole game to recover. Guernsey hit a hot streak though and I don't think they put a wide with the 1-3 they kicked in that half. We kicked away chances for fun at the other end. Still, 1-3 to 0-2 at half-time. We managed to settle the ship.

The second half was a mighty struggle as they used all their experience to keep us at bay. We had mismatches in many areas of the pitch and when they goaled for a second time it was curtains. I had come across to try and make a last ditch block on both their goals and my finger tips felt both pass by. That's how close they were. Not even inches. Very frustrating because when you are that close you can’t but think you should have got there.

The result left us with a 3rd/4th playoff against Hague, losers to Lux by a point in the other semi. We changed things up a little bit and went man to man in defence, no dropping off and letting them spray it around. After they kicked a couple of early wides, we motored on to win convincingly 1-7 to 0-1, their score coming from a free in front of the posts.

I never left a Championship tournament last year feeling we blew an opportunity but on Saturday I definitely felt like that. We had enough chances to win the Guernsey game, bottom line.

The points I mentioned above bring a lot of the issues onto my shoulders but the lads know well that it is a collective thing. We have the players and we have the will but we need to figure out how to get the best out of ourselves.

After a few days reflection, I’ve a fair idea of what needs doing this month. We start again tomorrow night. Third is good enough if you aren’t good enough. I’m convinced we’re up to it though and the challenge might just be enough to light my spark again.

...Shield, Ladies and the rest to follow in coming days...

Copenhagen - The First Step

Big week and little time to think about the main event. A dead legged picked up last weekend has limited me to one gym session. The rest of my time has been spent either at my desk or in my bed.

I’m hoping both will play into my favour. A week off training probably won’t do any harm and work is keeping me distracted.

Saturday is massive, one of the three biggest days of the football year.

There was a time mid-summer when I was very down about the whole thing. I’d never seen numbers drop so consistently low and I wasn’t sure we could pull it together.

However, since lads returned from the summer break, the whole thing has been building and we head into the weekend feeling like we have prepared as well as possible.

There are 29 lads travelling to Copenhagen, an incredible number considering the expensive destination. Ross and Mull are injured so will look after the line and the other 27.

You could joke that the draw for the Championship is like a group of death. We’re in with Scandanavian champs Stockholm, Benelux winners Amsterdam and The Hague, Euro Champs in 2009 and 2010. However, looking at the other side of the draw you see current Euro champs Guernsey, along with Jersey, who topped them in the regionals. Lux fill the final slot and they are a team I’d expect to have a big say.

Considering all that, I think it’s going to be a very competitive day. There’s no point in talking ourselves up or down. I’ve no idea where we are at against the rest but definitely feel like we are starting fresh after a disappointing regional series.

All I can say about us is that we have a balanced panel which is very tight as a group. Last year we played to our potential on each occasion. All we can expect this year is to do that again and see where it takes us. You can beat your chest as much as you want but that’s the bottom line.

The Shield team is in a group with Paris/Lyon and Gothenburg. It’s impossible to call the quality there. We are the only club with a second team entered and there isn’t a ringer amongst them. Unless you count Pearce! I think he avoids training so I don’t pick him!

The challenge being a club’s second team is significant. Regardless of the opposition, you know they will always have a handful of very experienced players and our guys can’t match that. Again though, the lads share the strengths of the Championship team; balance and togetherness.

There was a time I’d give the ra ra speech. A lot of guys actually like that. However, my thinking has changed and a more calm and focussed approach is my preferred starting point. You can’t maintain the gusto throughout a tournament and manage the breaks that come with it.

Saturday is the first of three big days. Nerves, excitement, curiosity. They are the three main emotions experienced in the build up. Hopefully it will be elation in the aftermath.

Comeback Kids

Quite the comeback. Brussels is still shaking after the rattle it got from current and former Belgium G.A.A. players this weekend. The grand experiment was a resounding success.

There were two main things which could have made or broke this thing. One was if Friday descended into a chaotic session and the other was if the game was not competitive.

Friday night went off without incident. Despite the searing temperatures, we congregated in the sweat box that was The Old Oak. Fellas wandered in from work and from flights at various times. The buzz was in full evidence as lads caught up and others were introduced. The pints of water to pints of beer ratio was pretty much 1:1, everyone watching each other and not wanting to do anything that was going to give an opponent a head start the next day.

Brussels' weather is notoriously unpredictable but on Saturday the sun came out in full force. The temperature dial was edging towards 30 degrees as we arrived to watch the end of the Ladies in-house tussle.

Ross was manning the whistle in that game and also for the lads match, a heroic effort for someone so sensitive to the sun.

Played in four fifteen minute quarters, both teams started at full strength and it was the All-Stars who were full of early running. They were foiled by rustiness more than once as they kicked away the opportunity of gaining an early initiative. At the other end, we were much more efficient, tacking on a few scores and drawing frees. We led 1-4 to 0-1 at the break thanks to a mix-up in the square after a long delivery in which led to a goal.

For the second quarter we rolled out the Shield team and their fresh legs would see them maintain our leading at the interval.

The visitors had lost Rochey at this point with a pulled hamstring and we were coming to grips with their main attacking threat, Michael Hough. Tempers began to flare and there were a few slightly animated exchanges (mainly involving Udson) as we started to pull away entering the fourth quarter.

All day our opponent’s performance had been about more than making up the numbers. They tracked well and tackled hard all over the pitch. The game looked beyond them as they trailed by nine points entering the last few minutes. They needed something urgently and the self-proclaimed 'Antrim Maradona' delivered by plundering his much promised goal. Then Jonny O struck and suddenly there was a kick of a ball in it. However, time was up and it was just as well for us as the momentum was firmly in the hands of the All Stars. The final score read something like 3-8 to 3-11.

The girls had stayed on after their match and were joined by other friends and former players which enhanced the sense of occasion. We couldn't have got a better day for it and the game itself was more than worthwhile.

By half seven we had convened on a terrace down town with grand plans for an epic pub crawl. It was the only part of the weekend that didn't go to plan as we never managed to move again, finally getting thrown out sometime after 4am. After that everyone scattered, some for food, some for Celtica and others to bed.

On Sunday, there was a club BBQ arranged in de Valera's and despite the hangovers, we had another bumper attendance. Seventy people joined in for the food with plenty more piled in for the match.

I've avoided the chest beating hum drum as much as possible but the weekend was a solid stamp of approval for many things about the club. I mentioned on Friday how lads travelled from five countries to be here. Ricky is a great example. He worked a double shift on Friday, finishing around 11pm and getting the midnight bus from Clare to Dublin so he could catch the 06h50 Saturday morning flight. He stayed in the country a little more than 24hrs. A big pat on the back goes to Shane Griffen who rallied the troops so well.

The success of the weekend gives the whole thing credibility. There will certainly be a repeat and we'd hope that next year, more lads will get on board and we can turn it into a mini-tournament. That's for another day though. We need a few more just to recover from the weekend.

Belgium Welcomes All-Stars

For want of a better name, we will refer to it as Project X. I promised not to bring it up again but to give you the background for the weekend, I can't avoid it.

'Project X' was a kind of survival mission. We needed to find a system and players to help us survive after all the departures of 2011. Shane Griffin was like the poster child for this. Raw and somewhat uncontrollable up until then, he made the step from Shield to Championship panel and become a key member of the team.

In late spring he declared he was leaving Brussels and naturally I was none too pleased. He softened the blow by agreeing to lead an inititiative which I had wanted to get moving for a while.

Some day I will sit down and try and write a list of all the players who have togged out with us since 2008. I remember in 2009 alone, that figure was 60+. We must be twice that now, if not more. Very few would say they didn't find playing with the club to be a very enjoyable experience.

This leads to an obvious opportunity which we want to tap into - the idea of an annual fixture, pitting current v past players. For me there are three reasons to do this. The first is to provide us an additional competitive fixture in our calender. The second is to keep the former players close, so we can tap into that pool for fundraising and other such items!! Finally, its a great opportunity to catch up with fellas who made your time in Brussels so enjoyable. Thankfully Griff took the oranisational challenge on.

The past players are travelling with a strong panel, reflecting each of the five years the team has existed. The class of 2008 contributes Micheal O'Flynn, Keith Stephens, Cluxton, Phil Roche, Ollie O'Callaghan and Michael Hough. Ciaran Hudson, Ruairi Duffy, Jonny O'Riordan and Jim McGrath arrived in 2009. 2010 provided Shane Griffin, Brendan Lynch, Andrew Shorten and Ricky Collins. Fergal Ellis had a fleeting visit in 2012. (Apologies if my timing is a little out!).

It is a great cross section of players and they will travel from different parts of Ireland, England, Holland, Germany and Switzerland to play.

We had no big plans for the weekend beyond a match on the Saturday and a session that night. However, a few events will be added now; a casual meeting in The Old Oak on Friday night, the girls will play an in-house game before us on Saturday and there will be the session in the evening. On Sunday, there will be a club BBQ in de Valera's where everyone will gather to watch the All-Ireland final.

The success or failure of the game will depend on Friday night. This weekend's game gives great opportunity for guys to prepare for Copenhagen. We travel there with two teams and a lot of selection decisions to be made. I would expect the current players to practice moderation. The past players discipline will be tested. Currently, they have the best of intentions but I've seen this go wrong many times.

Assuming everyone turns up sober on Saturday, it should be a very competitive game. They travel with 15 players whilst we will have a panel of over 30. The game will be played in four, fifteen minute quarters. Our panel size will  allow us keep things fresh and that should be an advantage in that sense. On the other hand, it could upset the momentum.

The past players travel with a very competitive panel. Jim McGrath and Cluxton are two past players of the year. Michael O'Flynn and Phil Roche were mainstays of the 2008 Championship team. As far as I know, nearly all of them are active sports wise so they should be fit.

The game has generated interest outside the immediate circle of players with many friends of past and current players coming down for a look. Some of the kids club will be in attendence too and the ladies will be about after their game, no doubt to see Ollie O'Callaghan work his magic.

Without much hullabalu, a game has turned into a weekend event, as tends to happen in this club.

I've avoided descending into nostalgia for now. There will be plenty of time for that on Saturday.

For want of a better word, there will be a serious amount of pride at stake at the weekend. Everyone will want to show what they can do and no-one will want to be listening to the oppostion mouthing off on Saturday night.

If there is any concern that it might be a timid affair, I need only point to the 2010 intra club league as well as this year's in-house games and even some training sessions. Lads don't face any dilemmas when contemplating holding back. That should ensure everyone gets what they want out of Saturday.