Waterford FC forward Pádraig Amond has recalled using a fake name to hurl with the Carlow minors while on the books at Shamrock Rovers.
As a goal-hungry striker, Amond carved out a good career in the English lower leagues, with his FA Cup exploits with Newport County attracting headlines on both sides of the water.
The 35-year-old is now back in the League of Ireland and has already found the net for Waterford, in last week's 4-1 victory over Drogheda United that has placed the Blues top of the Premier Division after two rounds.
Before heading off to England (via a brief stint in Portugal with FC Pacos de Ferreira), it all started for Amond at Shamrock Rovers, where won the League of Ireland First Division title in 2006.
During the same year, Amond was also hurling for his native county en route to the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship quarter-final, but he has recalled how this didn't go down too well with Rovers.
Pádraig Amond recalls his minor hurling days
"I played minor hurling with Carlow and I was playing with Shamrock Rovers at the same time," Amond told the latest edition of the LOI Central podcast.
"I played under a different name for the hurlers and didn't stand in the photos. We beat Offaly in the Leinster semi-final and I scored 2-04 and there was a picture on the front page of Irish Independent the next day. I wasn't supposed to be playing.
"I turned up for training the next day and there was a newspaper thrown in front of me.... "what's that?"... "I dunno."
"I was like, 'you never said I couldn't play.' I just played the dumb country fella. I just said to Pat [Scully] 'we've got one game left, we're playing Kilkenny in Croke Park in the Leinster final, I'll just finish it off and play that.'
"My second game for Shamrock Rovers was played three hours after I played against Wexford in the Leinster Championship and luckily, it was away to Kildare County. I could make it."
29 June 2006; Padraig Amond, Shamrock Rovers senior footballer and Carlow minor hurler, at his home in Ballygowan, Milford, Co. Carlow. Picture credit: Brian Lawless / SPORTSFILE
"I scored a couple of points off Pádraic Maher"
It's a testament to Amond's county pride, as well as his hurling talents, that he was so determined to stick at the hurling while lining out for Rovers. However, when it came to the crunch, he knew he wanted to kick around the bigger ball in the long-term.
"I couldn't let down the Carlow hurlers but I always wanted to be a footballer growing up. I was probably best at hurling. The last hurling game I ever played was against Tipperary in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Pádraic Maher was marking me and I scored a couple of points off him."
With Carlow now sitting top of their table in the Allianz Hurling League Division 2A, Waterford boss Keith Long is sure to be keeping a watchful eye, in case Amond is tempted to pick up a hurl once again.
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