From Little Acorns Grow Big Trees

With barely the slightest shake of a tree, fifty footballers made themselves available for selection last Saturday, causing me one of my biggest headaches to date. It was an incredible number when you consider FC Irlande were in action on the same day with at least seven names of possible/past players springing to mind. With those kinds of numbers available, there was no question about entering a third team. The strength of Benelux is well documented and considering our second team have to fight hard to thread water, it was always going to be a massive task to compete.

However, whilst I'd be the first to proclaim the need for achieving success, we also have a duty to give as many people the opportunity to play as possible. Last year we may have compromised our chances of winning by persisting with a second team but this year we reaped the rewards. Pearce and Jim are two examples of guys who have made the step up. Often fellas won't join a club because they don't think they will get a game and it was important we didn't fall into this trap.

On Saturday, our third team was far from a motley crew. Micky Keane kicked the winning score in our first final victory in Rennes eighteen months ago. Conor Aylward is a massive competitor and Alec Elliott a regular A player. Aside from reintroducing guys into the club, it also opened the door to new recruits like Lorcan O'Flaherty, Julian Hale, Liam Kelly and find of the day, keeper Brendan 'Bob' Lynch. Whilst the results were hard to stomach, mentor for the day Keith Stephens kept the spirits high and managed the expectations of the group well. As Ciaran Kelly alluded to in a mail this morning, our team, going under the name An Bhelig for the day, had probably slightly shorter odds than Honduras' 1000/1 to win the World Cup. The result that mattered wasn't on the scoreboard though; it will hopefully be the one that sees new players joining ranks in the coming weeks. Many have already put their name in the mix for selection on higher teams.

Our second team, playing under the name Brussels, went into the day with high expectations. It was the strongest team we had to date. However, two sucker punches early in the Amsterdam game seemed to take the wind from the sails. It was a frustrating day because physically they were equal to or superior to the opposition faced but getting the scores on the board was a problem. Considering the A team have had major struggles in this area in the past, it is a problem which will naturally filter down to other teams. Another contributing factor is the turnover of players which unsettles the team and it’s noticeable that the right mix has yet to be found. It's a lonely road being the only established second team in Europe as each opposing team you face will have at least a sprinkling of experienced players and in the 11-a-side game that can be huge.

We must make sure the spirit in the camp remains and that we keep driving on to improve our game and tailor our training to do just that. Being the first team in Europe to field three teams in Europe is great but it is more than a nice little publicity stunt. Our standards will raise if we don’t lose heart, it will be all about perseverance in the coming months. Relative to this time last year, the team is rude health ahead of the Shield rounds later in the summer.

Belgium Triumph On Home Soil

What a massive day. Our first home tournament saw six mens and six womens teams decend on Leuven for an action packed day of activity. There was an army of volunteers busily at work when I arrived to the pitches shortly after 9am but still I was greeted by a stern lecture from Caoimhe who seemed to decide that the slack show from the lads was all down to me.

Once there, my input was invaluable though. Myself and Olof stood chuckling as the girls, led by The Bomber, made an almighty balls of trying to assemble the goalposts. Never ones to stand back, we intervened and resolved the mess. All sorts of other stuff needed doing and got done before Belgium A and B squared off in the opening games in both competitions.

Full reports of the games will follow in the coming days but the main bits of news is that both the men and women won their competitions in stylish fashion. It was a fantastic result and topped the whole occassion. The other notable point was the men fielding a third team for the first time in European G.A.A. 50 players togged out for the men on the day.

Former GAA President and current MEP Sean Kelly was in attendance for the finals and would comment at the evening function on how impressed he was with the standard of play. It was a great honour to have him present on the day and will no doubt help further boost the profile of the club.

After a glut of recent tournament wins we finally had the honour of one of our players receiving player of the tournament. For the ladies, Ciara was a deserving winner and whilst the referee didn't think he was the best player, he felt Eoin Sheanon's honesty was deserving of the men's award!!

Needless to say, the night is barely a hazy memory at this point as the drinking and singing and talking bollicks contined well beyond sun rise. Another chapter written and closed for the club and most importantly, two more trophies in the bag.

29

I came into the adult grades as a Minor in '99 along with eight or nine of the victorious '98 team. We had that youthful swashbuckling style with little regard for reputation. More success soon followed at U-21 and the natural and rapid progression was to challenge the establishment and seek our places on the adult side. There was no intentional cull by selectors but it seemed their 1998 defeat to Crosshaven pushed a host of them into retirement. Pat Murphy, Gerry Murphy and Gavin Farrissey were the only lads north of 25 and the majority of us were still Minor or U-21.

Having team-mates so close in age made me think that this was the norm and that the average club player would have hung up his boots by the time he was 25. I thought my time was ticking and I was still a Minor!! At that age you are still developing physically so you rely on your natural skill, instincts and enthusiasm. The knocks don't take the same toll, nor does the bulging fixture list. There is one void which you cannot recognise at the time and that's experience.

Dad used to bang on about it all the time and I didn't know what he was on about. Because you don't recognise it at the time so cannot understand it. Looking back though I realised I encountered it regularly. I remember one game up in Passage and I was marking a wiry auld lad with shiney hair. On paper I should have had the measure of him but he was like a magnet for the ball. I couldn't figure it out. Gerry Murphy was the same. They just knew how to time the runs and when and where the ball would arrive. They had perfected their dummies and knew how to play to their strengths.

As the years progressed I started to recognise it. If you have been caught one on one in front of the goal for the first time, you may get caught in two minds about what to do. When you have been in the situation hundreds of times you get cuter. You watch the body language, look at the eyes, narrow the angle and wait for the right moment to pounce. That judgement only comes with experience. It's an invaluable asset and can overcome so many other deficiencies.

When I moved to Belgium I realised there was life after 25. Out in FC Irlande, I marvelled at the likes of Enda and Alan Norton; deep into their thirties and flying fit. They were even aloud play games!! An added bonus was that, as an expat club, there were no young fellas chomping at the bit trying to get your place. The G.A.A. club here was very much a Dad's army affair in those days. Now though, we have an array of ages from low twenties to late thirties & beyond. The influx of young fellas has transported me into the Dad's Army brigade at a time when I thought the likes of Conor, Denis, Enda and Fergal were keeping me young.

Today I'm 29 but with plenty left in the tank. The body is better than it was for years and the hunger to make the most out of every occasion gains momentum with each passing year. Today, I will accept the transition into my thirtieth year and tomorrow I'll try and kick on and make it a good one.

Breaking New Ground

Another chapter will be written in our club’s history this weekend when we host our first Football Tournaments out in Leuven on Saturday. There will be a Ladies Pan-European round and a Men’s Benelux Regional round to keep interested spectators busy. Whilst the hosting is significant in its own right, the men will further break new ground.

We will become the first team in Europe to field three teams in competition on the same day. It has been impossible to keep with the speed of growth of the men’s football. People to help with the management and also finding a pitch to accommodate the numbers are the main issues. Great problems to have.

We broke the 35 mark at training last night and tomorrow I expect between 45 and 50 players to proudly wear our jerseys and give their all for whichever team they have selected. With it being 11-a-side, we have three full squads and despite being aloud move guys up and down, we will not enact that rule so as to be fair to everyone in our panels and make sure they get sufficient game time.

Our second team has a serious looking edge to it and should have a minimum aim of qualifying from their group into the semi-finals. It’s the strongest team they’ve had with regulars like Ollie, Ruairi, Matti & Co joined by the new recruits Martin Brennan, Shane Ryan & Pearce O’Caoimh. The third team will be up against it but they are no motley crew either. Established players like Alec Elliott, Adrian Hiel, Conor Aylward and Mickey Keane will lead their charge alongside newcomers like keeper Brendan Lynch, Lorcan O’Flaherty and Liam Kelly.

The A team have a slightly rejigged outfit from previous tournaments with Rugby convert Diarmuid Laffan making his debut. Veteran Enda Rice returns and is joined by a former Belgian great Paul Gavin who makes a return to his spiritual home after being a mainstay on The Hague team for the last number of years. The panel will be completed with the pesky diminutive figure of former captain Stephen Cluxton, who lines out with us for the first time since Clare Island. Drawn in separate groups from rivals Den Hague, we will have to navigate through some tricky waters if we are to lock horns again. That’s the goal and hopefully we can drive on from our win at the previous tournament.

I expect our ladies to storm their competition with a star studded team. Caragh, Caoimhe, Sylvia and The Bomber have some quality support in intercounty talents Grainne, Ciara and one or two more. They too have a second team which should benefit from the filtering down of A team players.

An army under the command of Becky has been putting in phenomenal hours to make sure our club is represented in the best possible way and I’m sure their efforts will be reflected in the smooth operation that should result. It promises to be a fantastic occasion, hopefully one complete with some silverware at the evening function in de Valera’s on Saturday night.

Getting the right names in the right boxes

I’ve had an easy ride so far when training teams. Be it hurling or hockey, I never had sufficient players to have a selection headache. Belgium was my first football gig and in 2008, the team picked itself whilst last year, there was a fairly clear line between the A and B. 2010 has brought an influx of players and committed ones at that.

On Saturday, I have a list that is approaching 40. The dilemmas will start when we choose whether to break new ground by entering a third team or to have two bumper panels. On Monday night, lads were putting the hands up. Some of the biggest hits we’ve seen went in with more than a few lads being put on their backside. In a competitive environment you won’t get much sympathy if you start dragging your arse. Fellas were bouncing back up and back into it.

The selection puzzle is not black and white. At home, you have a time period in which you can judge a players ability and commitment. You have fewer comings and goings and so fairness and consistency can be more easily defined.

If a guy shows up a week before a tournament and looks the business, you have to throw him in, even if he will be gone in three or four months. That’s the nature of the beast here. Then you’ll have your old war horses with family and other sporting commitments but who will always be there for you to call on. How do you treat them? They’ve soldiered with you all over and will do so in years to come. Leave him out in favour of one of the passers through or tolerate his personal situation and stay loyal.

What about the lad who perseveres through all sorts of ups and downs? How do they feel? I’m certain some trainers have no awareness of this but I’ve felt the pain and injustice of it all, so I can relate to it. Does it mean I won’t make the same mistakes? Am I trying to justify hard decisions which will have to be made? Probably.

Even whether we have two or three teams will have a big bearing on selection. Three Belgium teams means two groups of three, a semi and possible a final. That gives you less chance to rotate and so less chance to blood a less experienced lad. Two Belgian teams means one group of 5 so four games and more chance to rotate. In the player’s eye it is black, white and personal but in reality it is far from it.

One thing for sure is that it doesn’t get personal. I’ve an immense amount of respect for how some lads structure their personal lives to commit to the team. Balancing the respect for that and giving your team the best chance for success is the challenge.

Fighting Against The Tide

Uncle John, me, Dad and my brother John in The White House, 1999

The blog is heavily focused on football activity, more because I’m training the team than anything else and as a result there is more to discuss on an ongoing basis. However, it gives rise to my father accusing me of being more of a big ball merchant than a small ball one. It irritates me no end.

Hurling has always been a sensitive thing for me and I suspect my brother John too. The pitch at home is named after our Grandfather who hurled with Cork and won an All-Ireland medal in 1941 and a litany of Railway Cup medals. He even had the honour of captaining Munster to one of the victories, back in a day when the Railway Cup nearly had equal billing with the All-Ireland. Later, my Uncle John would win an All-Ireland Minor at his second attempt. Dad didn’t represent Cork but played his share of Fitzgibbon and Senior Hurling. The stories of his tough, uncompromising style are often told.

I always felt a need to prove myself as a hurler more than a footballer, but also a frustration that I never managed to. It’s against that backdrop that my irritation burns I think. Events never lent themselves to me matching those that came before though. The first blow was in 1986 when Jimmy Barry won his final All-Ireland against Galway. I got left at home that day. Imagine how that experience could influence a 5 year old.

With one school blitz to my name I was whisked off to Indianapolis, Indiana for just short of three years. My head was turned to Basketball and Soccer, even though we did keep in touch with 5am drives to Gaelic Park in Chicago to see the All –Ireland.
Back into sixth class and a solitary outing against Courcies before being sent off to a Protestant orientated boarding school. Rugby and Hockey followed for the next five years until Gaelic Football was brought into the schools. No hurling though and I wouldn’t play again until Ballinhassig beat us in the Minor in ’98. So by the time ’99 came around I had two competitive hurling matches to my name.

With John at the helm, myself and the team made rapid progress that year, beating Tracton in a massive tussle in the South-East final. To a man, the players on that team would probably say it was their finest day in our club jersey.

As if intentionally trying to halt my momentum, Dad took over the adult team a couple of years later. I was handed the goal keepers jerseys against all sorts of protestation from me. Secretly though, I probably loved it and found a position on the team where i could have a decisive impact on a game, be it with saves or carefully placed puck-outs. Donal Og’s puck-out strategy was still only in his dreams when I was hitting short ones into wing forwards hands and out over the sideline, to the furious objection of the Kinsale crowd!!!

So, the final nail in the coffin didn’t quite fit. Even off the field, the first team I trained was our U-16 hurlers in Kinsale, at a time when only the most committed would work away in the face of the footballing tornado in the club. Despite having my head turned away at every opportunity, my interest never waned though. I may find myself training a football team now but that’s because it’s the job that needs doing. Simple as.

I think what Dad wants me to admit is that the joy of winning a hurling championship trumps all else. I said already that the ’99 win was the greatest of all. Add to that one of the biggest upsets I was involved in, when we beat Courcies in the U-21 in 2001, and you have two of the top three memories. I’d swap all the South-East football medals for a hurling one. Toyota and Belgium deprived me of my place on the 2005 team and again when they won it in 2007. Every time I think about that bus trip to Shannon in 05, with the lads in Innishannon playing Shamrocks, I curse my luck. I was named in the programme that day but events conspired against me once more.

Dad will complain that this entry is too long winded but it is important to recount the evidence of his work. Add to all of the above his retirement from farming to pursue a desk job and you know why I don’t carry the rugged look of a fella who spent his idle time lifting bails and hopping gates. The absence of that experience is reflected in my style of hurling. With no quick route back to make amends for unfulfilled ambitions, I must be happy in my skin. The challenge is no longer to be pursued with Kinsale, it’s now to be chased across Europe and will be done as always, with equal vigour in both codes.

7up

Victorious Belgian Team


Teaching kids new words

I’m slightly paranoid that without success our club will lose momentum. I nearly lose sleep over it at night. We must always be building, driving forward & winning trophies. My fear is borne more out of the transience of the GAA scene in Europe and the lack of control that any of us (in any of the clubs) have over it rather than anything else. Our structures are good, our committee active and our door open to all. It’s that transience though.

We last lost a Hurling tournament in July 2008, by a point, to an extremely talented Luxembourg outfit. Six tournament wins and a European Championship later, we sought further silverware in Den Haag last weekend. I mentioned how depleted we were in a previous blog and with the withdrawal of Aonghus, Jim and Pearce at the 11th hour, we were down to the minimum.

Endeavour is great though. So is a bit of balls. Crusher has both in abundance and he needed it to fetch the ball from above his man’s head, turn and take on the onrushing defenders before dispatching the ball to the top corner on his weak side. From an ominous position where his team trailed Den Haag midway through the second half of the final, he had injected life into his troops.

The day didn’t start so spectacularly though as we showed off our rust in all its glory, losing to The Hague 2-3 to 0-5. Myself and Shane hit enough wides to carry a team to an All-Ireland. I can consider myself an old pro at this tournament lark at this stage and know well that situations can be reversed quickly.

Our game against Lux would decide who would face off against the hosts in the final. It was a tight enough game with both sides having to pick off scores from distance. Our forward line of Conor, Ciaran and Dan were making life difficult for their backs too which helped us keep and build on our three point half-time lead. They won their share of frees too and that was enough to see us through.

Going into the final I thought we had a chance. Our defence looked steady with Dad’s Army hero Fergal Mythen bolting down the full back zone. Gordon, who sometimes moonlights as an Adrian, and Yann also had a big game in them. It was nip and tuck until they popped up for a goal. It was sloppy, we should have got a hit in but didn’t and found ourselves behind.

It would be easy to throw in the towel and head into the evening traffic tailgating a litany of excuses about absent players. Excuse making is no longer our favoured dish though and we had that long winning streak to defend. Everyone stepped up and Crushers goal was just the topic to see us through. Conor Magner started fetching ridiculous ball out of the air and Shane Ryan began to flirt more closely with the uprights. Just when we needed him, he switched from school disco mode to Celtica mode and became even more acquainted. A point up with time ticking away, he surged (maybe a bit generous) up the wing and put over a cracker, a la Ben O’Connor in the ’99 semi-final. We held our nerve and claimed a hurling and football double on Dutch soil.

It was a fantastic result on the day and gives hurling a big lift. The footballers have been going at things in a much more determined fashion this year and there was a danger that the hurlers may have lost their hunger. Anyone who was there on Saturday, well and truly has it back now though and with numbers good at training, we can hope to drive things on again in a few weeks time.

Our Ladies were also in action over ‘two legs’ against Luxembourg. Having one the first game, they fell at the second hurdle and lost on aggregate by a solitary point. Still, they’ve come on leaps and bounds since last year and Olga’s coaching is visibly paining off. It should bear fruit sooner rather than later.