GAELIC GAMES:"IT'S ONLY half-time," says the match promo, although it seems the Irish players reckon it hasn't even gone that far – and after their mostly lacklustre performance in Limerick last Saturday this particular International Rules series really only begins with tomorrow's second Test in Croke Park.
“As a team, really, we underperformed the first day,” says Leighton Glynn, the Wicklow forward who delivered one of the better Irish performances in Limerick last Saturday.
“I can’t put my finger on it, because we did prepare so well. So, individually, we all have to step up, play a bit more Gaelic football, rather than get wrapped up in say the mark.
“I know all the boys are keen to play a lot better, and put a few things right.
“We’d usually create more goal chances as well, and often get a few of them too. We only really created the one last Saturday, and that was Bernard Brogan, through himself really. So we’d certainly hope to create a few more goal chances in Croke Park.
“And we’re still confident, yeah. Look, if you’d have asked us halfway through the last quarter would we take a seven-point deficit of course we’d have said yes. Two scores, two kicks of the ball, and we’ll only be a point away.
“But I think we need to get a good start, get the crowd behind us early on. There was a good crowd in Limerick, but unfortunately we didn’t give them much to shout about, before Bernard’s goal. The place lifted then.”
The Irish team regrouped on Wednesday evening, and if Glynn was still feeling a little tired from last weekend he’d a good excuse – less than 24 hours after the opening Test he played with Rathnew in the Leinster club football championship, and less than 24 hours after that, he played with Glenealy in the Leinster club intermediate hurling championship.
The Irish team lost by seven points, Rathnew lost to Meath champions Skryne by three points, but thankfully Glynn tasted some success when Glenealy had a one-point win over Carlow champions St Mullins, thanks to a last-minute goal.
“I was just tired, really, after it all,” says Glynn, who was also back at work on Wednesday, as a games development officer with the Leinster Council.
“It was unfortunate all three games in the three days, but you can’t really complain, because it is the business end of the year in the club championship.
“We just didn’t perform against Australia, and then with Rathnew, we didn’t seem to play as strong as we could either. We were leading by a point at one stage in the second half, but couldn’t sustain the pressure. At least in the hurling we managed to snatch it at the very end. But I’ve no injuries, thankfully, and set to go again on Saturday.”
One of their first assignments on regrouping this week was to watch the video of last Saturday’s game in Limerick, and try to identify what went wrong, and the few things that did go right.
“We have picked up a few things, where we went wrong, and how maybe we’ll adjust the tactics,” says Glynn.
“But I think as well some of the criticism of the game has been unfair. I think there could be an absolute cracker in Croke Park, and everyone will be raving about it again.”
The apparent lack of any real physical contact doesn’t seem to bother Glynn, no more than it did any of the Australians.
“It’s still physical enough when you’re out playing it,” says Glynn, and that probably is true.
“They say it’s been sanitised a bit too much. But something had to be done after 2006. Maybe they’re still trying to find the right balance,
“It’s something different for us, and even the tackle, which I know a lot of the Irish guys mightn’t be great at, is something different for us. We’re still keen to get in there and tackle. I certainly had a few bruises waking up on Sunday, but there’s an awful lot of running as well, up and down, and that’s tiring really.
“But I think it’s a cracking game, and love I playing it.”
