IT WAS ONE of the stranger stories of the winter break, the 2014 All-Ireland champions playing beach volleyball with former Ajax, Juventus and Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar.
And, according to Cillian Buckley, it all came about thanks to Tommy Walsh.
“Edwin seemed to be on a family holiday over in Miami. We met him in a pool the first day with his family. Tommy Walsh actually asked him in for a game of headers so that was the start of it and how the video surfaced. The challenge was to get to ten and he helped us do that.
“The next day he asked us for a game of volleyball on the beach, it was north Kilkenny against south Kilkenny. He played with north Kilkenny and we managed to win that too so obviously his height was a bit of a help.
“He was great craic.”
While the former Dutch international knew he was hanging around with a bunch of Irish sportspeople, Buckley’s not sure he’ll be taking up the small ball game any time soon.
“He knew we were an Irish sport, I don’t know what grip of hurling he had now. He didn’t mention too much.
“He was laughing at us at one stage when two boys went for the one ball, he was asking was communication important in our sport.”
Kilkenny, of course, were in Miami for a winter break on the back of a successful season that saw them win both the National League and All-Ireland titles. However, any thoughts of sandy Florida beaches are well behind Buckley at this stage with a return to training this week.
“We were brought in collectively before Christmas to be given out programme and stuff and just not to come back at the back of the pack after Christmas. We tipped away, nothing too hectic.
“I went back training this week and the Walsh Cup is starting for us next Tuesday. It’s not too far out from the start of the league either, four weeks out. It’s creeping up fairly fast now and I’m looking forward to it.”
However, Buckley is not complaining about being back in training, despite recent high-profile comments regarding ‘indentured slaves’ in the GAA
“I’m involved in the county set-up for three or four years and the support we got from the GPA here makes it all the easier.
“Even without that, we are in this game because we enjoy it and the whole aspect of looking at us as ‘slaves’ is a bit of a joke to be honest.
“We are in it for pure enjoyment, we are in it to make friends and we go to training every night of the week to get a break from everyday lives and it is far from slavery. We turn our heads to it and just get on with it.”
Likewise, Buckley isn’t overly concerned with the long-term consequences of a hectic training schedule for the amateur player, insisting the sports science surrounding Gaelic games is improving.
“Recovery is becoming as big a part of the game as training. When you go back to the multiple set-ups between college and county, there is less time for that recovery.
“You have to think that might play a role as you get older but at the moment I’m only 22 and I feel like I can stay going, maybe down the line I might have something else to say about it.”
