The pride. The passion. The parish.
It all starts with a text. Then a meeting. Then another meeting.
Then runs, runs and more runs. You’ll run until you’re blue in the face, puking your guts up, and until you’re so fit that your kick passing is bound to automatically improve too. It’s bound to, right?
Of course, when you start losing and your wides and ball-skills are killing you, it will obviously be put down to your fitness. So then you’ll run again.
19 clear signs your GAA team is in pre-season mode https://t.co/XazNn24OOE pic.twitter.com/XxzZ7wSVAe
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) January 10, 2016
It’s a vicious circle, the life of club GAA.
It seems that every year, every team goes through the same phases and to no end. We all start off with bursts of enthusiasm and a new manager comes in and lays down the law tougher than others have ever done. This is going to be the year.
But it still doesn’t interest some boys.
And, at the end of the day, every club is going to chase after their Damien no matter how many times they promise it will be different.
If you don’t train, you won’t play. Unless you’re Damien.
In a new Republic of Telly skit, Rory’s Stories has illustrated perfectly the different stages each club goes through at this time of year and in through January and all the rest.
It starts with boys kidding themselves, asking if there’ll be ball work.
Everyone soon realises that the only balls you’ll see are for extra cones to make your runs longer.
And one by one, boys start pissing off.
Weights programmes, nutrition plans… all that nonsense you won’t give a toss about come championship.
You’re not fit enough.
Or tough enough.
Or fit enough.
In between, you’ll hear all the same, old rousing speeches from either your manager or your captain and you’ll hear them over and over again – boys who obviously care about it more than you. Or so they’ll continue to tell you.
We all know how it goes and yet every pre-season we all get fooled.
Republic of Telly have it bang on. The saddest thing is that we’ll recognise characters from all our clubs here. You might even recognise yourself.
