Stephen Scallan remembers the day well.
He’ll probably never forget it. Three years ago he was the captain of the Kilkenny minor team that were beaten 70 points by Wexford in the Leinster championship. It was one of the biggest hammerings in GAA history and it was the biggest failure of his life.
He has no qualms in saying that.
This is a man who takes his football as serious as everybody else in the county takes their hurling but he’s up against the grain. Hurling is a religion in Kilkenny, a place where the students in its schools like St Kieran’s College puck balls off the wall and compete for them in the corridors in between classes and where their hurls are blessed with holy water by the local priest at the start of each year.
And Stephen can’t escape it because he’s from the hurling stronghold that is the home of the 2016 county senior hurling champions O’Loughlin Gaels.
“Growing up, all you talk about is playing hurling for Kilkenny,” he said.
But he prefers the big ball, he has no regrets about that and he’s trying hard to make it. He’s got his chance, as many players do with TG4’s Underdogs and he’s nervous, but he’s also hell-bent on taking that chance.
It’s a lonely life, being a footballer in a county like Kilkenny but his dedication and determination has seen him work on his skills often on his own, and that’s why he’s made it this far with the Underdogs.
“I’m doing a lot of training sessions on my own, as such, instead of field sessions with a team. But I think when I have gone to the training camps, I’ve put as much effort in as everyone else.”
And he’s revelling in the experience of the set-up under football heroes like Paul Galvin, Ray Silke and Valerie Mulcahy.
“Every training session is a meaningful one…I think I’ve been on the edge the most because I knew I was lacking the involvement in football as other lads have.”
As for that minor defeat, he’s ready to bounce back.
“That is the biggest failure I’ve had in my life, but I’m here to prove a point and show people that I’m not just a laughing stock that we were on social media, I’m here to put my head there and show, ‘yeah I’m good enough to be here,'” he said.
Footballers in Kilkenny are a rarity and they don’t get too much chances, so he’s not underestimating the importance of this one.
“This could be the biggest game of gaelic football I play in my life. If I get the chance, I’m going to take it and if I prove it to myself, I’ll surely prove it to others too,” he beamed.
In the end, the Underdogs suffered a disappointing defeat to Kerry club side Kilcummin, but that man Scallan did enough to keep himself on the panel.
Fair play to him.
Football in Kilkenny , na looks a fuair sé 😂😂😂 #underdogs
— Cárthach Bán Breathnach (@cartyban) October 4, 2018
A Kilkenny man on a football program 👌 #underdogs it’s a long way from the headline of the worst minor football team there has been. pic.twitter.com/nFaMTHcAkr
— Steven Scallan (@steven13ss) September 6, 2018
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