Connemara Gaels, Celtic CLG, Harps, Marist, St. Pat’s Emerald City… Rory O’Carroll is coming to town.
It’s been set, no turning back now. Come March, Rory O’Carroll will have taken up residence in the southern hemisphere. His return date? “Who knows?”
The two-time All-Star is headed for New Zealand with the hope of acquiring a job as a social worker but he won’t be the only Dub doing a bit of travelling this summer. That’s right, the All-Ireland champions are going to have to make the big, bold step of leaving Croke Park for some championship games and the rest of Ireland can’t wait.
Of course, playing away games hasn’t stopped them clinching the National League title for the last three years in a row and Rory O’Carroll believes that this myth of the Dubs being unable to travel will only spur them on more.
“I’d say the lads will love it,” the full back spoke with SportsJOE. “Even O’Byrne matches or, say, away league matches, we were always really looking forward to them.
“It can often be counterproductive when everyone’s saying ‘oh, take Dublin out of Croke Park’ and then it just motivates Dublin to get out of Croke Park themselves. I think they’ll be really looking forward to it and Nolan Park is a lovely spot, a lovely pitch and, you probably saw it last week, it’s a good atmosphere when it’s full. I think they can’t wait for it. I’d say they’ll be raring to go.
“I think it’s a good one for the fans as well because the fans love going away so it’s a good thing for everyone.”
It’s not something the renowned number three will be a part of though. He’s going to be on the other side of the world, long away from the Dublin bay shores, kicking ball in Auckland.
“I’ll definitely try and do something to keep active and, if there’s a GAA club in the area, I probably will join,” he said, putting Kiwi gaels on red alert.
It wasn’t a decision that came easy though, leaving an All-Ireland winning team, leaving home.
“I probably would’ve gone either way [this year], but given that the Dublin team did have such a good season, it definitely did help.
“It’s never easy obviously when you decide to leave something you love and you’ve done for so long. It’s not only the Dublin team, it’s the GAA club and you’re leaving a lot of your friends and your family and it’s probably more so that rather than the football thing.
“It’s a big decision in some respects, depending how long I go for but it’s something I’ve thought about and I’m very happy with it.
“I could be back within the year and it could be after that. Who knows? I couldn’t tell you.”
All-Star winning @DubGAAOfficial player Rory O'Carroll picks his dream seven-a-side team on Snapchat (SportsJOE.ie) pic.twitter.com/lE9jtjopXs
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 25, 2016
When he does return – if he does return – surely there’ll be a spot in the Dublin full back line for him again. The type of O’Carroll, a defender who said he likes Croke Park because it’s big and fast (a defender!), will never go out of fashion.
But the Kilmacud Crokes man said that he left prepared for the eventuality that he might never play for Dublin again.
“If I’m back and in a position where they’d take me, I’d never say no,” the 26-year-old said of a potential return to the inter-county panel. “I’m not really one to look too far down the future and make plans. I just kind of see how it goes and take it from there. I’m open to the idea of possibly playing again.
“I’m also open to the idea that I won’t. I realised that when I made the decision to leave.”
Rory O’Carroll launched the ‘adidas and Life Style Sports Boost Run’ (Friday 4 March in Dun Laoghaire). Along with Katie Taylor and Irish 100m Hurdler Sarah Lavin, O’Carroll will take part in the 5k and 10k event where they will take 120 lucky winners through a guided guerilla style run through Dun Laoghaire Harbour en route to a secret finish location. Enter the competition here.
