All for the love of the game.
And then there were four.
The AIB GAA All-Ireland Club Finals are only days away and for the players of Corofin, Slaughtneil, Kilmallock and Ballyhale Shamrocks, it really will mark the pinnacle of their club careers.
Provided there’s no need for a replay, two of the four sides named above really will be living the dream when bringing a national title back to their home parish on Tuesday evening, a reward for all of the effort, the determination and the dedication to get that far in the first place.
Corofin, Slaughtneil, Kilmallock and Ballyhale Shamrocks will deservedly get the limelight next week, but the hard work required to get there is replicated by hundreds upon hundreds of clubs throughout the country, year on year, at all levels.
There’s a reason the AIB GAA Club Championships are known as #TheToughest of them all; in fact there are any amount of them.
No doubt many of you can relate to some of the ones listed below.
Because weather like this never a reason to cancel training
Because spare time for girlfriends, boyfriends and significant others is at an absolute premium
Because you often train like an inter-county team without the glamour of playing for an inter-county team
Because ‘beer ban’ is a phrase you become all too familiar with
Because referees are often a little more lenient than at inter-county level
Because you have three brothers on your team and you don’t want to let anyone down
Because trying to plan a holiday is usually a futile and frustrating exercise
Because shoulders from big, strong, inter-county players like Kieran Donaghy are an occasional health hazard
Vine via Sean O’Brien
Because there are few feelings as devastating as losing a big game by a single point
Because getting hit with a sliotar on a cold day leads to bruises like this
Because somebody has to mark the nippy corner forward that’s averaging 2-5 a game
Because a so-called ‘local’ league game requires a four-hour round trip of a Sunday afternoon
The greatest GAA pitch in the world pic.twitter.com/RL1oXpprE0
— Laurence Mackin (@LaurenceMackin) August 2, 2013
Because we wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t worth it…
You can still buy tickets for the AIB GAA All-Ireland Club Championship Finals, click here for the details.
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