From sand, beach shorts and warm Australian sunshine to tights, frosty pitches and woolly hats at Dunganny. Any GAA player struggling to get out training on these cold winter evenings might spare a thought for Paddy O’Rourke.
Because after two weeks in Australia last month with the Irish International Rules team, O'Rourke has been back training with the Meath footballers this week, finding it a little harder to make the adjustment. Not that he didn't fully appreciate his goalkeeping duties with the Irish team, plus the chance to see Australia, and O'Rourke also believes the International Rules remains a uniquely valuable outlet for intercounty players - and hopes the series will continue into 2015 and beyond.
“It was a great trip, thoroughly enjoyable, and I couldn’t fault anything about it,” says O’Rourke, now well established as Meath number goalkeeper. “The only thing is we still can’t put my finger on how nervous we looked for the first two quarters. That was disappointing.
“Because we had prepared so well. But when we seemed to get into the final third of the pitch nothing seeded to click. Even the shots that we took seemed to be rushed, seemed to be nervous, it didn’t look like the same lads we had been training with for the two weeks previous.”
Still, the fact Ireland finished within 10 points at the finish was enough to ensure the game was at least viewed as competitive: O’Rourke also believes a second test should be reintroduced, while the Australians need to ensure their best players are made available.
“Last year was a farce, an embarrassment to the AFL, and it was an embarrassment to the players from Ireland on the pitch that night in Croke Park. So if it is to succeed next year the same system has to be in place from our Aussie counterparts, as it was this year.
“As far as I’m concerned, from the Ireland side of things, we will always be represented with the best players that are available. They are going to have to make their best players available too, and hopefully it will go back to the good days of the late 90s, early 2000s, and every game came down to the kick of a ball and it was the best players from both sides. And I certainly think we can match them.
“But personally I would say it has to go back to two tests. I thought the way the game finished, it was perfectly set up for a second game. I thought it was perfect the way we came back in it, beginning to over run them, get on top of their kick out strategy, and win a lot of ball in around midfield.
“I thought lovely, we’ll get them the next day, then the final whistle goes, and realise this is it. We were going home on Monday.”
