Ah sure once you get out there you don’t give a fiddlers about a bit of rain and a lot of muck

From Derry to Cork and from Wexford to Galway our pitches weren’t conducive to wristy hurling to silky football or to free-flowing rugby on Sunday.

The weather was atrocious. It never stopped raining overnight and our sports fields were showing all the signs of it this morning. Our beautiful green parks turned into swamps with puddles collecting over every five yards of turf for good measure.

It was one of those morning where the drive over to the pitch was was timid and nervous.

“Jesus, sure they’ll hardly have us out training in that, what’s the point?”

“Ah I think they’ll throw us out there to make men out of us. I’m not looking forward to this.”

Then you get to the car park and you see the polls and cones lined out on the pitch. You also see the puddles.

You walk into the dressing room, praying your game or training will be called off. Some of them were, some of them weren’t. You were actually praying the groundsmen would stop doing their jobs.

You suck it up, you get out there and you give it socks.

The thing is, once you get out there, once you get put on your arse or a ball splashes into a big puddle in front of you, you realise it’s not that bad and you go out and give it welly again.

You’re lording it. You’re loving it. You’re thriving, you’re revelling. These training sessions or these matches are actually the best craic you’ll have.

The ball wasn’t bouncing, it wasn’t even moving once it hit the deck. You had to suck it up.

A lot of lads did.

Naas and Tullow did in Naas Rugby field in the first round of the Provincial Towns Cup.

Dylan Leybourne was even scoring tries in it for Tullow, despite Rob O’Connor’s best efforts.

Just look at his face. That feel good, Dylan?

Patrick McCall gave Ross Bailey a nice dirty backside.

Winning never felt so good for the two Pauls of Tullow, Stephenson and Canavan.

11-6 was the final score in favour of the Carlow side.

Lorrha, North Tipperary.

The Lorrha senior hurlers braved the muck, wind and rain in Moatefield in North county Tipperary.

They couldn’t even see the sliotar for most of the session. That didn’t stop them.

Thomas Davis Senior hurlers, Dublin.

The Tallaght club were out running hills at magazine fort in Phoenix Park.

Hardy boys.

No stopping them.

Park Ratheniska GAA Club Laois.

“Yerra what’s a drop o rain?”

Carrick Rovers v Monaghan United under-13s.

We feel for all the parents washing the gear.

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