I went to a public school comrade
Alan Kerins played his first ever Gaelic football match when he was 24. Just over 18 months later he was playing in and winning an All Ireland Football Final.
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An ability to catch, kick AND throw the ball would mark you out ahead of the vast majority of rugby players.
A fella with a decent level of athleticism and a willingness to take a few belts coukd play junior rugby handy enough. But heâd probably be on the wing or full back. Wouldd take a bit of time to get up to speed enough to play in centre or one of decision making positions.
I know loads of lads who started in 20s and would tip away playing social rugby the equivalent of junior b hurling or below it even. Grand enjoyable game for any fella at that level. I played 5 or 6 games myself last season. Tackling optional
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Learning to take the hits would be the biggest thing - particularly as you go up in standard.
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Imagine what heâd have achieved if heâd taken up rugby.
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bit of Walter Mitty tales with that Alan Kerins story too. Iâm nearly sure he won a connnacht schools football medal with St Marys at juvenile or Junior level. And he played football throughout his time in Trinity too, ending up as captain of the football team in his last year there. There is no doubt he took it up late enough, particularly to a high level, but his first game of football ever certainly was not when he was 24.
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ah in fairness to @GeoffreyBoycott, itâs more a case of Alan Kerins himself spinning yarns. He goes on about not playing until he was 23, but he certainly played it in his school and college.
He is a public speaker type guy now, embellishing stories is part of the job.
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Somebody already playing senior football wasnât really who I had in mind but I do take your point.
I know a lad who was a couple of years behind me in school, never really played sport growing up aside from a bit of hurling in primary school but stopped playing organised sport once he was an early teen.
He always was a big and broad lad but would have been awkward and would have had a serious lack of coordination/athleticism when he used to join in lunch time soccer matches. I met him a couple of years back and he told me he was working in the midlands and took up rugby at 23 and progressed from thirds after a couple of seasons to being a regular on the second team of the club in the second row and has occasionally played for the firsts when they had injuries going by his facebook posts.
If the same lad had taken up football with Bridge Celtic or went back hurling with Smith OâBriens at the same age there wouldnât be a hope in hell that he would have progressed to a similar level.
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Are we talking AIL or Towns Cup?
A quick google tells me that they are AIL division 2
Ah right.
Towns Cup is awful scutter, shite pitches, shite venues, shite quality, but its an almighty piss up and regularly attracts a few GAA players in off season for that alone. Wouldnt take much to make a GAA player to make any decent fist of it, hence why I was curious. No idea what the AIL 2 standard is these days, youâd hope its a step up on that.
Thatâs great that your friend found a sporting outlet in which he could enjoy himself.
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Anybody who wants to play Gaelic football in Dublin University has to pass the mandatory Introduction to Yarn Spinning and Embellishing course before being admitted to the club.
The only lads who played rugby in our school were lads who were shit at other sports. My two year old has better hand-eye co-ordination in terms of catching a round ball than Paul OâConnell had catching a rugby ball.
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id be more surprised if he told the truth
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Page 25 of last monthâs Sigerson Cup Final programme - Galwayman Alan Kerins has only ever held a hurl when he first came to Trinity - he ended up playing inter-county and had Trinity GAA to thank for that.
'I never played football, club or county, until I went to Trinity so I have the GAA club to thank for inspiring me. As a Clarinbridge man, hurling was all I played up to that point - South and East Galway have no football clubs and no football tradition. Golf and soccer were second and third choice. I took up football at 23 when some of the lads I was living with asked to come and train with Trinityâs Sigerson squad.
The training seemed a lot harder and more professional at the time than the hurling set up so I decided to try it out to keep fit during the off season with the Galway hurlers. Little did I know where that decision would lead. I was hooked, really enjoyed it and ended up playing Sigerson that year.
I joined a football club in Galway, Salthill Knocknacarra, and got the nod from John OâMahony to the inter-county set up, winning an All Ireland in 2001 against Meath. I played dual for Galway from 2001-04 and I also won a club All-Ireland with Salthill in 2006. So I owe a lot to Trinity GAA for giving me my start in football and for that I will be forever gratefulâ.
Thatâs a yes then.