It’s been described as a nuisance, a waste of time and an inconvenience.
Try telling our GAA players that.
Let’s face it, at home there are lots of begrudgers of the now biennial series.
Their main form of ammunition is that the Australians have postponed games twice this decade, and that nobody really cares about the outcome.
Inter-county players are a special breed. They’re the most committed sort in the country – they live for training, competition and testing themselves, but most of them are just normal lads to talk to.
Most of them are similar in that they share these characteristics, and though they may fight when they come up against each other in county and club games, it’s nothing personal and rarely will they hold these grudges.
The International Rules series offers a great opportunity for these players from different counties to train together, to get to know one another, to become friends.
They’ll have some time of it over the next two weeks in Australia, rooming together, sharing tales, jokes and just sparking off each other.
One can imagine the craic they had playing volleyball on the beach in Australia on Thursday, out with a bunch of lads in a place they’ve probably never been before.
It’ll be them, the amateur GAA players living the professional life for two weeks.
That is a GAA player’s dream.
They’ll be kept busy, with training schedules, rest and recovery sessions and the works, but there’ll be time in between where they can do stuff together, without the rushing they’re accustomed to when playing for their counties.
You can be guaranteed that they’re being motivated by each other over the last few weeks training in Abbotstown and now out in Australia, too. The weather isn’t too bad over there, either.
They’re competitive beasts, and they’ll want to be training as hard as the best players from other counties and showing off their own skills to lads from other counties.
They’ll want to show off their football skills, and they’ll want to be testing themselves when they meet for a collective gym session, like they did earlier this week.
They’ll learn from other lads, from how they train, they’ll pick up things, things that might better themselves when it’s all over.
You’d have to wonder, do the Dublin players wish they were out there?
Roscommon man and Ireland squad member Enda Smith opted against taking a break after a long season both with club and county this year, in favour of joining up with Joe Kernan’s squad.
The same goes for the 22 others in the squad who are now in Adelaide preparing for the first of two tests against Australia which will take place this Saturday.
These lads want to be there.
Sean Powter is having the time of his life.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPDelfgeiB/?taken-by=seanpowter97
So, by testing themselves for a few weeks, in that professional set-up, they’re rewarded with a unique chance to pull on an Ireland jersey.
Some of the best will have this opportunity come a few times in their career, but careers are brief and uncertain.
You might as well take that chance when it comes. If it doesn’t work out, so be it, at least you gave it a shot.
Many players are giving up their annual leave from work to be able to play, and this has lead to some criticising the GAA for their treatment of players, “Is this all we can offer them after all their commitment?”
Well, isn’t it good enough?
The players are dead right to take the chance and here’s hoping the enjoy it.
Because the likes of James McCarthy, Diarmuid Connolly, Paul Kerrigan and Kieran Hughes (all on club duty) might just feel as if they’re missing out on something.
