The one that got away.
Tipperary hurling supporters will always rue the day that they lost Gortnahoe Glengoole club man Shane Long to football, but by God has he done them proud.
By the age of 18 Long had starred in consecutive Munster minor hurling finals against Cork, and was widely billed as the next big thing in Tipperary hurling circles.
Long, who also made waves as a young sprinter, had every attribute required of a hurler. The mid-Tipperary man had break-neck pace, as all defenders he comes up against know all too well, he was as tough as nails and he had the wristy strike and first touch that would mark him out as a suitable member of the Premier County’s forward line.
Long was lured from hurling by Pat Dolan, who asked him to play soccer for Cork City in the summer of 2004, and he hasn’t looked back.
After only a year at Turner’s Cross and the departure of Dolan, Reading offered him a move as part of the deal that took Kevin Doyle across the water, and away he went to become a top striker in English football.
He’s now with Southampton, and recently he caught up with Kilkenny star Richie Hogan to test his skills as part of the Sure Pressure Challenge.
Imagine seeing this man in the blue and gold.
