What is Shane Long had left to play Aussie Rules?
Former Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long after taking part in the Hurling For Cancer charity game at Cullen Park. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho
It’s not difficult to see what happened here – last Monday week, Long played in the annual Hurling For Cancer charity match, a game broadcast live on TG4, in which he scored a point from about 45 yards out. Someone in Gortnahoe, or indeed Glengoole, took one look and thought “there’s a man we could use this weekend”.
Regardless of that kind of underage pedigree, there’s never really any bitterness about losing lads to the dream of top-flight football. Even with a player such as Ben O’Connor, who was excellent for the Cork under-20 hurling team last year but who announced immediately after winning the All-Ireland final against Offaly that he was joining the Munster Rugby set-up, there’s a realisation there that it’s professional sport and it’s worth pursuing.
It’s a strikingly unoriginal point, but that’s the difference between losing kids to Aussie Rules and losing them to the other most popular field sports in the country.
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