Latest / On Your Own Time Podcast / Career of Aaron Craig: Westmeath Hurling & Life Off the Pitch

Transcript

Career of Aaron Craig: Westmeath Hurling & Life Off the Pitch · On Your Own Time Podcast

• On Your Own Time Podcast: Hi everyone, you're very welcome to On Your Own Time podcast. Today's guest is Aaron Craig. Aaron Craig is a retired hurling senior Aaron, you're very welcome. Thanks very much for meeting me in Atleon today. Coming down from Wollongar. Great to be back here, it's been a while since I've been in Atleon but it's nice to be back this side of the county. So anybody listening, who is Aaron Craig? Yeah, I'm... Well, like Dex said, I'm a retired hurler. played for Westmead senior hurlers for 14 years. Still planning to be a club hurling. Doing a small bit of coaching with young lads in the club. Still a member of the defence forces and I'm currently based in engineers in the Cura. So it's pretty much my background. And what's making you go for the pods course? I don't know, kind of see when you're Inter County for as long as they did you kind of put your career on hold. So you'd be putting different things off like doing NCOs courses, career courses, different things. So now that I have a bit more time and kind of hoping to get up the ladder a small bit. Things I should have done years ago, kind of catching up on now. Things you would have done, but I'm trying to catch it now. So talk to me, where are you from? Where are originally from? I'm from Mullingar, so I'm from the town of Mullingar. My club in Mullingar will be St. Oliver Plunkett. I play a of football with Shindona as well, I'm that side of town. That's where I am. So what your... What you say, Plunkets was the start off? Yeah, Plunkets would be my hurling clubs. That's where I'd be kind of more hurling than football. I'd kind of play a boat. So I'd be over in Plunkets a bit, yeah. What made you take hurling over football? I'm not really sure. It was probably when I was in school, I went to St Kenny's just outside town there in Balliné and it would have been... dominant football school, would have been all football in Ireland, there was no Ireland team at all. So kind of wasn't until I was about 10 or 11 I kind of really got into Ireland. I had an uncle there that played for Offaly for years, Jack McKelly, so he had huge success with Offaly, all stars, all Irelands and different things. So you're kind of hearing stories about him and looking up to him and it kind of enticed me to play Ireland more than football when I was growing up. Yeah, so that's kind of how I ended up picking up and it was kind of just being around the house, poking around myself. Then I ended up joining Plunkets then in town when I was about 10 or 11 and kind of kicked on from there. Kind of started getting involved in Westmead development squads from under 14, 16s then up to the minors, under 21 and senior. So kind of at from a young age, it's kind of turned into an addiction then over time that you don't really know any different. You get stuck in a bubble there. kind of you think this is the way everything is but it's not until you step away that you realize if there's more to life and there's more time for everything else. Did you win many major competitions with Plunkets? With Plunkets? No, I got to our first ever senior county final in 2013 we played against Castongaing and we lost by two points but we were kind of up and down then for a couple years a lot of lads. Immigration hit us hard after that 2014. 15 we got relegated, won the intermediate then in 16. Kind of up and down then after that, kind of winning senior Bs and different things and a couple years senior and then you get relegated again. So we're kind of up and down but... Hopefully we have a good crop of young lads coming. We had a serious minor team last year. So we're after getting a big influx of young lads there this year, which is massive. A couple of lads back from Australia as well. we hope to be competitive now this year. Just gelling the group together now this time of year, finding out what your best team is is kind of where we're at the minute. Any other country players playing with buckets at home? We have three. We had three on the panel this year. Thomas Meaghan, Matthew Cunningham and John Frey. So I had lads, it was probably their first year on the panel. the year before but they're kind of just being exposed to it now for the first time but yeah we always kind of would have had one or two lads floating around the place when I was first starting but hopefully now I'd say with the 20s coming the miners differently for one the next couple years I hope to we'll have a lot more lads involved with us. What was it like growing up in Mullingar? Yeah it was all right. Kind of coming from an army family barracks in the town there you're kind of reared around that. environment and The barracks is probably somewhere we would have grown up as well a lot of relations in the army grandfather father aunties uncles all that so It's kind of that's that would have been our background in Mullingar so it's kind of how we were heard. I know growing up for years it was always functions in the barrens. Yeah, yeah. is actually just watching, I was sitting watching the World Cup the other day and I was thinking of my first experience in in Moneghar was in watching the 2002 World Cup in the NCOS mess in Moneghar so kind of you're thinking small things like that kind of come back to you. Both garson towns mad army towns. But you got into county at a age, Yeah, so you would have started under 13, kind of young lads were picked up for development squad. So under 14, it's kind of the first exposure you get to playing at that level. You're brought in and the panels are caught and you're not. See, when you're with a club team, you wouldn't really be used to it. probably have. 20 lads, 30 lads down club training. So there's never a coach or there's no one telling you, no, you're not good enough in this thing. So that kind of your first exposure to that is under 14 when you're picked for development squads going to play exhibition games in different places and playing different blitz and against different counties. So yeah, that's your first exposure at that level of getting handed gear and kit and different things and getting to play with better lads and just small little things that you wouldn't have got at club level. That's the first exposure you get. And then as you go up through the levels then you'd have under 14 to be just... basics then under 16 you'd be a bit more competitive. Minor then, playing the Leinster Championship minor was kind of your first big, big deal. You're getting to play in the kind of bigger pitches, you're getting to play in Cusick Park, you're getting to play in different areas like O'More Park down in Leash or could be playing O'Connor Park in Offaly and different things like that, Paranel Park in Dublin and you kind of expose the different, different kind of situations and scenarios and a bit of pressure kind of, that's where it really starts hitting you when you're a Growing up as a whiner, is it difficult? you're in school, you're going to turn, all that stuff, is difficult? Yeah, that's it. At the time you don't know any difference. I was saying to you there, when you're 12, 13 years of age, you're only in first and second year in school. So you have bit of free time in the evenings and then you're getting picked up for these development teams. And then kind of when you're going on, then you've under 16, you'll be kind of junior certain. You're working around exams and different things. And then when you come to minor then you're working around exams again, which are leaving certain. You're kind of basing it off what you're doing with junior certain. You're kind of making it work. You will be under bit of pressure and like studying all this confic and second and then... with me in my house as well. Even when my mother and father were putting pressure on me to study I was thinking I'll have to go training this evening. Looking back at it I should have done more studying and less training but you're lucky you wouldn't change that either. What made you join the Army? Yeah, probably like that. I was after starting construction science in EIT and there was an embargo with the Army at the time and my father said, the Army is after opening up there will they apply for you? So I was there thinking, jeez I don't really want to be in the Army. But it was the time of the recession and different things in 2010. And I said, yeah, sure, I'll try it. See what goes. And he goes, yeah, sure, put in an application, sure. See what goes. And at that time, there was loads of lads playing. so that was grand. Done the fitness test and then went on a while again. I was still in college and I flew on and then he said, you have to get through that first round. So you've, or you're your fitness test then. Go over to the barracks. I remember walking across, I was actually standing over the college there and I walked across that morning. and done my fitness test and I was thinking, that's the last I'll hear of that now. Passed that then and then you had the interview after that. Same thing, came across the town and then the medical and I was there thinking, Jesus, then I got the letter saying I was after getting it. So I kind of had to think, great, what am going to do? Am going to stay in college? At that time there wasn't much going on in construction either. So I said, I'll give the Army a shot for a couple of years and see how it goes. Sure, if I don't like it, I'll head away and do something else. So I ended up staying in the Army now. You were right. No, no, I regret it. After getting serious experiences through the Army, different areas, different things to get involved in. this is different courses you've done, different areas. Just kind of dabbling a small bit of everything that probably not many lads have got to do between recruitment and with the engineers, doing the trade. than just doing basic line stuff as well. So you kind of get a shot of everything. So I kind of enjoyed a Big experience, good experience. It's good to be able to play at the top level and the Army gives you so much benefits. definitely. Yeah, for sure. When you're trained to a high level, that's probably something that stood to me in recruit training and going overseas. My first trip coincided with playing Inter County for my first year as well. you're kind of being built up and the S &C wasn't big at that time, maybe 2011 or 12 at that county level. So it's kind of funny, the last couple of years after stepping up, but with the Army, you were kind of built up from different courses, from recruit training and going into overseas as well, doing a lot of gym and stuff and running. So you were at fairly high level of fitness-wise. So that kind of stood to me then when I did start playing senior inter-county hurling. Big achievements in the Army in terms of sports. You play for the Hurling team? Yeah, we won the Chaplains Cup here with the Barrick. It was kind of a big deal at the time. I think it was the artillery 6th Battalion and think it was logs at the time. We had a team and it was very strong with Beccy and Kenny. So that was the first time I think in 50 years that that happened. So that was kind of one of the big achievements through the Army team that I would have had. Then you get to play when you're... that was just into brigades. And then when you're picked for the Army team, we got to play AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. in different pitches around the place. That was a big experience because you get to play against class players. And then you play the guards. We played the guards up in Croagh Parc days out like that. So yeah, you got a lot from playing sport in the Army as well. There's of top athletes in the Army, hurlers, isn't there? Well, there was. Jeez, when I first started, was a lot of lads at the top level. you'd have Kilkenny hurlers, Owen Larkin, Colin Fennelly. Brichy Reed is still in the army. Then you have Bonnar Máir here in Atloon. He went to Galway then and then you had lots of lads and at that time was Galway or Tuchenni Tip that were competing for all Ireland so they were really at the top level at that time. So again, getting exposure to playing with top lads as well, getting to see their habits and their behaviours, what way they carry themselves, especially your own work and different things as well. So you kind of learn things and pick things up off them as well. Biggest achievements with Westmead? Biggest achievements with Westmead? think winning the John McDonagh in 2021, just after Covid was probably the biggest achievement we've had. Then you had a couple of brilliant days out. We won a couple of national leagues. We won one in Tullamore, we beat Cardiff, we've won another one in Ennis, we beat Kerry. So I've had of national leagues. Probably the biggest day that stands out for us is beating Wexford in the Leinster Championship a couple of years back. That was a massive day, a massive day. was the first time the Westmead team has beaten a top tier team at championship level in a long time. So that was a massive day. The year before that we drew with them, kind of let it slip a small bit. But I think that kind of brought in the belief for the following year that we believed that we could match these lads. at the top level as well. So that was a big day at Mullingarra. The first day we were around your own crowd, your own people. We got to draw that day and it was brilliant. It was like we won. Then the following year we were 17 points down at half time and came back and ended up beating them by five. So that was massive. That was probably the one day that's... Probably the best day I've ever worn at Westmead Jersey. Then he had a couple of days, beat Noffley, probably our biggest rivals as well in Mullingarra by 17 points. was brilliant as well. Yeah, was a huge crossover. So that probably meant an awful lot as well getting to send them home quite so. Yeah, great days, but there's low days as well. Jesus, I remember some days in Salt Hill when you're playing Galway and different things and you're getting bet by 30 points and you have to drive that drive home. There's lot of days too when you get caught and you're losing big batches as well. But even each other out. When you're playing for Westmead, not one of the bigger countries, there's a more bad days than there is good days. You have to cherish the good days when you're there, I suppose. Footballers flying. It kind of comes from, I think, the management. I think they're a very, very good management team. When you get lads to buy in, I just know when we had Michael Ryan with the Hurlers, lads bought in, we had a good crop of lads coming. and that went on to of Shane O'Brien's time and Joe Forch's time with Westmead, it kind of the same group and lads, we had good coaches and we kind of brought one level onto the next level onto the next level. So you're kind of building, but the lads are off to get Mark McHugh in this year. I think Mark's off to bring them to the next level already. Building on what Jack Cooney was after doing a couple of years before that as well, winning the Telford Cup. So it's kind of a progression and I think they have a lot of younger lads playing as well. So I think the next couple of years for Westmead is exciting enough. Yeah, Matthew, very good. I played against him a couple of times with Shinona there, he plays with Tobler Clare. So we came across in the last couple of county finals as well. serious talent. Exciting times for Westmeath's football team. Yeah, unfortunately, the Hurlins kind of in the back seat for a while as well. was kind of that stage when I first started, you're kind of the Westmeath footballers were kind of playing Division one and there wasn't much talk about the Hurlers. then a couple of years we were just lucky, our group that kind of came through. Probably some of the best lads that ever put on Westmead, George E. playing Hurling, Westmead, Tommy Doyle, Inghis Clark, Nile O'Brien. A lot of these lads that are still household names in Westmead, Hurling, that have kind of packed it in the last couple of years. The Greville's, there's a lot of lads there. We kind of came up together and we were kind of pushing Westmead, Hurling, but you'd like to think we were pushing it to a decent level. But hopefully in the next couple of years the young lads will get back on track and will get back to the Insta Championship now again and different things. It's hard to get there, it's lot of years, a of work and a lot of work has to be put in to get to that level. It talks me of a small bit about the commitment and the work you put in for it. Yeah, so a lot of lads probably think, yeah, lads are doing it. Maybe two or three nights a week. But the way it's gone now, when I first started, maybe you might get away with two or three nights a week. There was no SNC. I remember it was just circuit training in one of the units in the industrial set, Mullingar. But it's gone to a different level altogether now in the last couple of years. You're training six, you could be on the road six nights a week. You might have a Sunday off, Monday, you'd in the gym collective, everyone. Tuesday, be on the pitch. Wednesday, be at your own gym. Thursday, be on the pitch. Westmead, we've no centre of excellence, so we trained a lot in Abbastown and Dublin. So a big trek on a Thursday evening, we'd have to drive up to Dublin. It's mad, I remember a couple of years ago we were training on one pitch in Dublin, we training on the other pitch up in Abbastown and we were playing them in the Leinster Championship in about two weeks' time. So they could see what we were at and we could see what they were at. yeah, it's unfortunate the facilities in Westmead are... They're not great at the minute, so you're going around kind of looking for club grounds and different things. It's wrong as well, isn't it? Yeah, it is, but it's accredited, lads. Even the footballers this year are having to compete with that, train outside Westmead, and then you're competing with the best, going to different counties to try and get training facilities. It's mad too, but hopefully it'll be sorted now in the next couple of years. What's the biggest stadium? it a hospital, Crowe Park? Yeah, Crowe Park's... Probably the biggest stadium I've played in are eight. Got to play a couple of finals there. Got to play in three Joe McDonagh finals, lost two of them and won one. So there's a big difference though in Croke Park when you win a final and lose a final. When you're out in that pitch after losing, you just want it to swallow you up and then after you win you don't want to leave it. So you're making the most of it. got to play in a few big pitches through the years. I got to play in Stamford Stadium in Turles. where all hurlers want to play. Got to play in Parque de Cuive, got to play in Salt Hill, Nolan Park, all the big pitches, Wexford Park. We've had big days out in all the pitches, so Croke Park is definitely the one that stands out the most. Galway Knight are playing in Perth Stadium at the moment. Yeah, walk on to Croagh Park for the very first time. First time was a big deal. I think the first time we went up was probably the first John McDonough final. Getting the Garda Escort up through the streets and the Leinster final is obviously on after. Not sure who was playing in that but there was bit of a crowd around. 35,000 going to that as well. So fewer, fewer people when you're, the Garedescott's probably the biggest thing that sticks out to you when you're stopping in a hotel there at Liffey Valley, you're kind of on the bus, you get fed there, have a meeting, then you're being brought into Dublin. Getting experience at all, you go under the stadium, into the restrooms, you do your warm up in there then, and then you go out on the pitch, when you walk out the... You go out the tunnel for the first time, it kind of hits you and you're of swallowed up by it. But it's a deadly experience. It's class. It's first thing you do is deadly and it kind of stays with you then as well. you get to warm up a day beforehand in that picture? The first time I think you're no, you're brought up and you get to do like a walk around the pitch. You don't get on the actual pitch, you're brought around the dress rooms. I think we've done that the first year. and we didn't bother doing it after that. But you're not allowed on the actual grass. But yeah, you're brought up, you're shown the dressing room, shown different things. is just kind of walk around the pitch. What does it feel like, what does it feel like walking out with the club back, representing the It's deadly. Jesus, sure when you're young like growing up, that's all you want to do. You want to play in Croagh Parc. You want to play against the best. know ours was the second-tier competition, but any time you get to win in Croagh Parc, it's brilliant. That's probably one regret that I do have. You didn't get to play on the biggest days, but still being part of it though is brilliant. Winning up there is magical, especially when you come back home then as well and there's homecomings and different things like that. It was deadly. deadly. Our one was kind of a bit low-key. We actually stayed in Dublin after the John McDonnell we won. It was just after Covid, the restrictions were still half in. I remember coming back to Mullingarra and we had to stay in the one pub then as well. couldn't mix between the whole lot. if it was now, to see the ones that the footballers were having now the last couple of years, brilliant. That was coming back into Mullingarra with a cup was class. It's good to see everybody outdoors, isn't it? Definitely. It was like the Flaa all over again there at the Lensafrén. It was it? Yeah, it was brilliant. But it's mad because I wouldn't have heard of SME for a long time. It's like people jumping around the battle mag and all that stuff. Sure, down to South West Mead, is fairness to the lads in Southern Gales. There's a couple lads, Neil Rattigan's actually in the army there. He's still playing with Southern Gales. We chat him a bit. They're struggling down here big time, but it's just numbers game. It's just getting more lads hurling down to South West Mead. think when there's... interest it kind of dies off but I think they're building up I think Southern girls are looking for their own pitching different things in the long hair so hopefully that'll bring it on now a small bit as well and yeah but so so Westmead Hurling is kind of it's very quiet I mean there's not much going on. What's a like what's a training week like for someone at your level? Like that like I was saying to you there's six days a week so starting on Monday you'd have your own. So a match week, so what's match week? A match week then you'd have probably recovering from a weekend. See the way the games are now you're probably on the Monday you'd be kind of just at the gym or a recovery session from if you're playing the Sunday or the Saturday so you're out in the lake then maybe straight after the game. Because the way the championships are run off now, it's kind of week on week. So you five or six weeks, you might have one break week in between, depending on what way it falls. So you could be, you'd be still doing your collective gym on the Monday, recovery, stretching, different things like that. Then you've trained on a Tuesday, probably doing analysis on who you're gonna be playing the weekend, or go over what happened last weekend, maybe on a Tuesday. Then Wednesday, you kind of do your own gym session recovery, probably in the pool or the lake. Then Thursday, it'd be all about the opposition that you're going to be playing on the Saturday or Sunday. It's all about them, a small bit on the pitch then. Usually the Thursday before championship, you'd be training in Cusick Park, which is great as well, when you're getting trained in those facilities, deadly. And then we could be playing there on the Saturday or you're away on the Sunday or whatever, whatever way it works. How does people balance work with that? So that's it, you're with the Army, you're kind of putting things on pause and you're getting... Other people that are working in different jobs, like off the job... That's it, you just have to make it work. when you're in the bubble, you think, geez, everyone has to do this and other lads are doing this. But you can be putting on pause and you're in the army there, for example, you'd be changing duties and trying to get off this thing and to go on this thing. then lads are saying, that lads wants to do nothing. But you don't realize that. you're doing stuff in the evenings that they're not doing. But trying to explain that to certain guys in the army is hard. like that, like even the labour jobs, I went down the trade there through the army and you're plumbing and you're on the building site from eight in the morning until five in the evening. Then you have to go training at seven o'clock or you have to at the pitch for six. Or get into a car and drive into Abbe's town in Dublin. That's tough. That is tough. Do you regret anything? No, I've no regrets. No regrets. Jeez, I had a great career. You got to some... Brilliant friends that you make friends for life, even making friends from outside different counties, lads that you're playing against for years and you meet them then you're able to talk to them and different things like that. Huge experiences, experiences that you could carry with you for rest of your life as well. Going into different things, if you're going into coaching or even going into work. There are different things, people that you would have worked with as well, different sports psychologists, different mindsets and all. There's so much in it, there's takeaways everywhere you can get from it. And why did you aspire? Yeah, of a couple of things. Career was probably one of them, the body was probably another one. Just trying to move on from it as well. When you stop everything for so long, you've a lot of catching up to do as well. So I'm 34 this year, I'm kind of at that stage now. I kind of need to decide, right, am I going to progress my career and start different things? trying give back to the club then probably is another small bit as well that you're not coming out, finish your SME then you're that broke up you can't play for the club anymore so at least have a couple of years left playing with the club as well and different things so. And do remember when you made the decision yourself to retire? Yeah it was kind of Christmas last year just after the club championship. Yeah this topic now is kind of but I got a phone call probably two or three weeks it kind of Our championship kind of dragged on a small bit last year. We were going to finish the last week in November. So we kind of had a break there and then I was involved with our miners. So I got a phone call off the new, a new WSB manager took over there. he said if I'm interested in playing this year, there's trials. happening the following week and at this stage now I was at the plane for 14 years. didn't think, you And you took for trials. Yeah, he was up for trials. So look at the ones coming from that. yeah, that's kind of where I decided myself. I said, look, I'm just at that stage now. I don't know if the hunger was still there to go back and do all that preseason and different things. So that's kind of when I decided to step away then. And your father as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, He's hurling mad as well. yeah, I was in seventh, so he's playing under eights and under tens. I'm doing a bit of coaching with him at the club there as well. So he kind of keeps you going. That adds to the pressure as well. Being a young lad and working away and not a child, that adds to... definitely. Yeah. And it was kind of a... I'm just blessed. was kind of part of my experience the whole way. He was always in around the place. was in dressrooms and he was there celebrating. He was holding cups that I got to win as well. the memories that we've made, the two of us together the whole way up have been something I'd never forget. It's mad to see you doing it. He sees you doing it. So he'll want to see the same. You said he's playing early. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's addicted to it now. Even before I came down here to meet you, was, can we go out puckin' and we can do this and we do that and we can go over to the pitch. It's kind of coming from me from a young age. I kind of had him probably because I was going to the pitch as well I'd bring him with me and he kind of just picks up on small things like that. yeah, he's playing under eights and under tens now so he's mad to just get better and improve the whole time. he's doing well now so far. Delighted with him. Coaching as well? Yeah, coaching a small bit. So I kind of got into it with our club, with Plunkett's Miners last year we were a very strong team. So Eddie Casey asked me to get involved with those. huge influence on me and I'm massive member of Art Club. Eddie kind of asked me to get involved so I couldn't turn him down. he kind of, he would have been a coach with us, with Westmead for a few years as well. kind of got involved that way. And then this year, then Gianni Dulli and other lad in the club asked me, they getting involved with the 16s? So really enjoying it. Yeah. And then we've Ussian's two teams then with, or with the under eights. So I'm kind of doing some of it with them as well. It's nice to give back. Definitely. Yeah. And that's probably the biggest part of it. This time now it's great to give back to the club that gave me everything I had as well. It sounds like I'm talking to an older, older fellow. You're only 34. Yeah, man. I had to show you a lot of ficking experiences too. that's where I went probably I was based in Athlone here and then I went to Newbridge. I was in Newbridge then for four years working recruitment. And I loved that. It was an awful job, nine to five. Brilliant to meet people every day of the week and promoting the Army. Busy those ones? I was busy, yeah, you were under a lot, but it was a class experience getting to do different things. Then through the TTS, that was kind of rent through our office. So we were going out doing psychometric testing. So that's kind of when I said to myself, fuck it, I'm going around telling everyone all the different things you can do through the Army. So I said I'd do a trail myself then. applied for it. At the time, like I wouldn't have had a whole lot of interest in plumbing. I would have, I didn't have a construction background really at all apart from the vintn college. a big difference being in a classroom, learning about it and then you're going out on site. yeah, no, that's how I picked up the trade then and four years, different things in that long back in that long again, seems I can't fucking get away from that long. I've seen a stator post the wealthiest trade people in the next few years with plumbers. No, I'm trying to get time to do a of plumbing now and trying to keep the body raised. But no, kind of, I've done the trade, finished the trade and I was doing a bit there before Christmas. stepped away from it a small bit, but I have to go back to it now. I was waiting for the weather to get good. The weather is too good now at the minute. were training at Hunter? Yeah, was in TUS for, I was in Gary Castle for the first phase with Sulis for phase two. Then phases four and six, I was in TUS. It was great. It's handy from East, there's only 35 minutes but there's being pulled there from, there's lads down in Carlow being brought up and I know there's one lad in phase two of us from Cork or Warford, so I hate to drive up. I was mad, like for phase six I got Warford as well My brother's lecturing with Shane Kelly. yeah, Shane was over there with us. Paddy and Benny would have worked with him. So what's next for you? Next for me, hopefully building a house next year. different things, hopefully maybe getting into a bit of coaching, still focusing on the club. We've a lot of really exciting things happening with the club, so in the next few years, hopefully be part of that. Yeah, maybe trying to get into a bit more coaching, a bit less playing, and then hopefully we'll work as well, a couple of courses, this NCOs course maybe. See you soon. I I'll see you the body. That's what I'm thinking in the future. So for anybody that wants to make it to County. Especially when you see. You hear different stories, it's daunting and different things like that. But like there's a lot of lads in the bubble and you're being brought up from development squads and different things like that so you don't know any different. You'll always make it work. And when you do make it work, it's definitely worthwhile. I know a lot of people that are basing their careers off playing at the highest level as well. You see a lot of teachers, see a lot of lads opening coffee shops and different things like that trying to work so they're their own bosses and working handier jobs. But through the Army you can definitely make it work if you really want to. It's definitely a good career for to progress on and off the pitch as well. Any mad stories in the dressing room from your club days? Mad stories. Yeah, we've mad stories all right, but yeah, we've lot of mad stories. A couple of holidays, team holidays, different things like that. Anybody want to call out here? There's lot of lads. I could write a book on some of stories. You've got a boys in trouble. Yeah, I've got lot of lads in trouble. The hardest player you ever played against? Sure, we were blessed, we got to play against. The best, even looking at Limerick there last weekend, we got to play against them in National League a couple of years ago. Phenomenal men, Grodd, Hegerich, they're massive, massive men. TJ Reid then as well, Kenny, Joe Canning with Galway. The best of the best, you're coming up across the best of the best. You couldn't really name one, like when you're standing beside these lads, there thinking yourself, this is a huge reality check because you're gone from the level you were at to the level that they're at. You're looking at these lads for years. at the top level and then you're getting to play against them. It's probably the biggest thing as well. You had that satisfaction of getting there, trying to match them then is a different story. Any mild injuries? Yeah, I was lucky enough. I was lucky enough through the years, couple of broken fingers and lot of stitches and different things. But probably the worst injury, I dislocated my left knee in 2017. that was probably the most substantial injury I've had. wasn't too bad. lot of lads have had a lot worse. Just lucky I haven't really suffered with it either. I had a couple of operations on that left knee since tidying up cartridge and meniscus and different things. But thank God, touch wood, I've never really had anything bad. Lucky as well because you see a lot of lads. Jesus, even this year, you're noticing a couple of lads snapping their Achilles and different things like that. Jesus, they're injuries that you won't wish on anyone. Did he get something at the new S &C? It's hard to know. The last couple of years, a lot of lads, especially in Irish Russian, you know what some lads are doing, SCLs, you're out for nine months, that's your year gone, pretty much. Years ago, was none of that. When I first started playing, wasn't really many lads doing it. Then I went through a stage of, you could have two or three lads in a panel out of 36 maybe doing them in a couple of years. It's actually happening in the soccer a bit as well. Yeah, you don't know what it is. don't know whether it's the type of boots, type of socks I was wearing, different things like that. You'd be thinking about these things when you're playing. Is there You listen to bits, yeah. We'd have... There was different lads. You'd have speakers there in the direction of the whole thing. Lads who'd be kind of designated. I was a model now, thank God, but you'd have lads designated DJs for the year or for the group or you'd have a couple lads set up a Spotify group there and you could join your own music as well. So that's kind of the way to start music in the direction of shite music yeah well it depends on who you're asking about beder mckenney and stuff like that so you get beder mckenney was it yeah kind of like that yeah even thinking killers is probably a big thing when we were growing up as well killers are good snow patrol all those that kind of stuff so that's really it iron we leave it there like that thanks very much for coming down that's all pleasure to be asked i probably missed a few questions on it but we'll get you on in a few minutes time when you're Hopefully, yeah, hopefully great to get on again get a couple more lads on it as well for you. and talk about growing the page and sharing your stories. Thanks very much buddy.