These are the days.
You’d better cherish your last year as an under-21, because after that, you’re in with the big boys for life.
There’s no more messing around, there’s no more of you being the leader, the senior citizen. This is the last of a long road of underage hurling. This is it.
Under-21 teams are full of so many different characters, from the enthusiastic under-17 breaking through, all the way to the 21-year-old who can’t wait to see it out and hang up the boots.
1. Future star of club
He may be only 17, but he’s been marked out as the saviour of this club since he was pucking around the field as an 8-year-old when the seniors were training.
He’s coasted through the underage journey, he’s loved by all club members, he’s doing the business when lads two, three and four years older can’t get a sniff.
The only trouble is keeping his feet on the ground. He has a tendency to get carried away with it all.
2. Peripheral senior player
There’ll be a few of these lads on every under-21 team. They’ve been blooded in senior action, playing a few league games earlier in the year and coming off the bench in the Championship.
Determined to impress, this is the time to do it.
Senior boss will be watching you.
3. County star
Played county minor and was on the under-21 panel for the last two years.
Has a bit of an aura about him, a player that all other players feed off and are inspired by. Sometimes he tries to do it all himself in games, but his heart is in the right place.
Leads by example at training, and regularly hops down from the gym beforehand.
4. Junior and he knows it
Slots in at corner back for this side, and does a job. He doesn’t really do it because of a love for the game, it’s more a love for the lads he’s playing with, where he’s from, and he’d hate to let them down.
He’ll miss a few training sessions, due to work commitments, but you can regularly bank on him on the big day.
Doesn’t have too much ambition, but he’ll do a job for you.
5. Can’t wait until it’s over
This lad has come through four or five early retirements to get to where he is now.
He’s been threatening to hang up the boots since he was 14, but he always gets roped into it.
The team are stuck for numbers, and at the end of the day, he’s still a parish man so he won’t let the lads down.
6. 21-year-old straggler
Loves the game, commitment is never an issue, he just doesn’t have it on his hands and he struggles on the big day. A good lad to have around, though.
7. Juvenile star gone wrong
Rewind back to under-14 and this lad was the next best thing.
He started smoking in school, got in with the wrong crowd, drinking became a habit and he doesn’t give a damn anymore. A shame, but you can’t win them all.
8. Potential but lacks commitment
Letting this lad off to college to live on his own was a bad idea. Take aways are easier than cooking and going out is easier than coming home for training.
9. How is he not county?
Does the business for his club every time. Knocks over points, cleans the opposition’s county boy. A joke that he hasn’t made the big time.
10. Dressing room motivator –
Emotional, a leader. He emphasises that this is the end of the underage road for so many of us before every game. Always has something to say, sometimes it’s good to hear, sometimes, not so.
He means well, though, and he’d do anything for this team to win the 21 Championship.
11. Electric 17-year-old
A great lad to have around the place. He buzzes around the place, is always rearing to go and burning with enthusiasm. He’s tough as nails and will definitely be heard tell of in the future.
12. Mad goalkeeper
Who are we kidding? There’s one of these on every single team. Barks at his back line, breaks hurls off goalposts, kicks the ground, punches it.
All in a day’s work.
13. Know it all sub
He was good when he was younger, but now finds himself on the bench due to a lack of commitment. He still reckons he could do a job and the rest of his colleagues on the bench have their ears burned off them by the end of the match.
Might cause them to put in extra effort to make the team the next day – just so they don’t have to listen to him.
14. Sturdy full back
Built like a brick wall. The rest of the team wonder what this fella is eating. The last man you want to be paired with for the tackle bag drills in training.
He’ll send you into the middle of next week.
15. Strictly games, training is overrated
Doesn’t believe in it. It’s only a myth.
