SPORTSPEOPLE ARE A pretty tight bunch.
The bonds that form between team-mates are often unbreakable because, in times of adversity, you know you always have someone going through the same thing who you can lean on for support.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of five sporting best friends who came up through the ranks together and looked at what makes these bosom buddies hit it off so well.
Brian O’Driscoll & Gordon D’Arcy
O’Driscoll and D’Arcy aged gracefully together in the blue of Leinster and green of Ireland and set a then-world record center partnership for their country.
Team-mates since the age of 16, the pair won three European Cups and two Six Nations titles together, including an unforgettable Grand Slam in 2009.
What they’ve said about each other
It’s not that we have a case of telepathy, but I don’t think you always need to speak to one another to understand the body language and what each of us is doing” – O’Driscoll on D’Arcy.
Rena Buckley & Briege Corkery
Corkery and Buckley are very different personalities both on and off the field but perhaps that is what makes them the greatest partnership in the history of Gaelic Games.
The pair first played alongside each other at senior level for Cork in 2004 — though they were team-mates at underage level well before that — and have since lifted no fewer than 17 All-Ireland titles across camogie and football together.
What they’ve said about each other
Myself and Rena, we’ve been there together since we were 11 or 12, going out every night of the week training. I don’t think we ever stopped, it’s just what we know” – Corkery on Buckley.
Ronan O’Gara & Peter Stringer
As you can see above, Stringer and O’Gara have been playing alongside each other for quite some time. Given the trust needed in any half-back partnership, but particularly one this enduring, there is little wonder they became BFFs on the pitch.
During their time with Munster and Ireland, the pair combined for two European Cups and a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2009 with Stringer famously passing the ball to O’Gara for the tournament winning drop goal.
What they’ve said about each other
We had an unbelievable connection on the field and, with regard to him being my out-half for the majority of my career, if there was another 10, it just wasn’t the same and there wasn’t that same understanding between me and somebody else.” Stringer on O’Gara.
Nina Carberry & Katie Walsh
Carberry and Walsh may be keen rivals on the racetrack, where both are phenomenal ambassadors for not just their sport but sportswomen everywhere, but they are great friends off it. Indeed, Walsh was bridesmaid when Carberry married Ted Walsh Jr in 2012.
Both have won the Irish Grand National with Carberry taking first place in 2011 on Organisedconfusion and Walsh following up in 2015 on Thunder And Roses.
What they’ve said about each other
We’re the same age and we’ve known each other for about five or six years and we go everywhere together. Everybody loves Nina. She’s great craic, she can talk about anything and she’s up for doing anything. You could say to her, ‘Let’s jump off Salthill’ or ‘Let’s go paintballing’ and she’s up for it.” – Walsh on Carberry.
Robbie Keane & Damien Duff
The Keane and Duff friendship started back when both were part of Brian Kerr’s European Championship-winning U18 side in 1998 and continued until the latter announced his retirement from international football in 2012.
The pair are among the first names included in any greatest Irish XI of all time and, while Keane may have been the one responsible for finding the back of the net, Duff played his part in quite a few of those goals.
What they’ve said about each other
Cadbury Boost is a proud partner of Aware and we know that friendships, both on and off the field, are important.
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