SPORTING PASSIONS/ PAUL HESSION ON HURLING AND AMERICAN FOOTBALL: Mark Rodden talks to the athlete on his keen interest in American football and his even greater passion - Athenry and Galway hurling

IN PRIMARY school in Athenry, my principal was Tom Cloonan, who is Eugene and Diarmuid's father, so hurling was a big part of everyday life there. We used to play it every lunchtime and I was drafted in at wing back. I enjoyed it and I still enjoy watching hurling.

The last time Galway won an All-Ireland I was five years of age so my memories of watching them down through the years have been about them nearly winning. It's always "next year" with Galway a little bit and they've had so many close-run things.

But my main memories of hurling are of Athenry. They won the All-Ireland club championship in 1997, 2000 and 2001 and I'll never forget going to Croke Park for those matches.

A few of my cousins played with the team and it was very exciting.

In terms of players who stood out, if you look further back you're talking about big local heroes like PJ Molloy.

But in that particular team you would have had the likes of Joe Rabbitte and then there was Eugene Cloonan as well.

Probably the first All-Ireland win was the one that holds the most memories for me. We took the train up to Dublin and basically the whole town transplanted itself up there.

I think the St Patrick's Day parade was probably postponed because there was no one left in the town.

A couple of years before that we'd won a county title and I remember going up to Clones where we were beaten by Dunloy rather unexpectedly.

So it was great to come back and go all the way.

Another sport I've always liked is American football. I guess it comes from my mother's two brothers and two sisters who emigrated to Boston.

One of my uncles in particular used to send home hats and T-shirts from the New England Patriots. He's a big Patriots fan and as a result I am as well.

When I got further on with my athletics I really liked the sport because I saw so many similarities with sprinting. I could really appreciate these guys for what they were.

They're so fine-tuned in speed and power, like sprinters would try to be as well, so I think that's what made me more and more interested in the sport in the last decade.

I often describe American football as the most simple game in the world that they've made into the most complicated game in the world because of all the rules there are.

You have four chances to move the ball 10 yards and if you do that you get four chances to move the ball 10 more yards.

If you don't, then the other team gets the ball.

That's the basis of the whole thing but it's not quite as simple as that.

But to me, when it's played at its best, American football is a simple game that's great to watch. I think it's misunderstood in this part of the world but that's changing a lot.

More and more people are getting into it and I think people should give it a chance.

I watch it regularly and the National Football League has come over to London the last two years for the first regular-season games outside North America. I went to both those games so the next step would be to go to America to watch a game.

The first game at Wembley was a washout. The New York Giants played the Miami Dolphins and it really was the worst day of the year. The Giants won and went on to win the Superbowl against the Patriots. So little did I know I was watching the Superbowl champions.

The Patriots have had a brilliant time of it recently. Between 2001 and 2005 they won three Superbowls so they've been doing really well.

But last year they were ready to make history - they'd won every game in the regular season which had never been done since they increased the number of games. They were the big favourites against New York and I think everyone was a little bit surprised, including myself, that they failed at the final hurdle.

But that's what sport is all about - if it was predictable then none of us would do it.

I have thought about how I'd get on in American football but not in any serious way.

I'd need to put on about 20 kilos to start with, and all muscle. I'd have the speed but if and when I caught the ball I think I'd be in for a rude awakening with some of those guys.

They might have pads on but they still pack a punch.