This week, the lads on the Hard Shoulder were joined by Rory O'Connor, of Rory's Stories, to chat about all things GAA, including his own trial with the Meath senior team in 2008.
Rory tells the tale of how an impressive performance in an u21 match against Kildare led senior manager at the time, Colm Coyle, to invite him to a training match with the squad the next morning. However, minutes later O'Connor was convinced by his teammates to go for one last night out together, given that they were finished with u21 football.
The story begins at 7mins 40secs here:
Long story short, he ends up getting home at all hours and not in the best of shape. After taking to bed, the next thing he hears is his mother calling him that the lads have come to pick him up for the match. Obviously in no fit state to play, Rory concocts a plan where he'd pretend to have no gear because he'd 'asked' someone to bring it but they forgot it.
However, he was counting on Mark Ward ruining everything 'Up perks Mark Ward, [and says] 'Jeeze Rory I've a spare pair of boots here if you can throw them on you.'
After being gifted a pair of shorts as well, out trudges Rory to play the game:
I got an absolute roasting of Nigel Crawford. Didn't enjoy any of the game. And as we were warming down we were jogging sideline to sideline and I had to stop and get sick against the railing.
If memory serves me right, Moylesy, you were captain of the team at the time, pointed over and said ''That's exactly what's wrong with Meath football. An up and coming prospect gets called up to the senior panel and there he is getting sick, puking up half the pints in Navan.''
No need to add, he didn't get a call back for training the following Tuesday. You can listen to the story in its entirety and much more below.
