AFTER COMPETING STRONGLY against Sligo last month, New York will take on non-Connacht opposition for the first time in championship history this weekend.
They were drawn in the Tailteann Cup quarter-final against Offaly. Albeit, they will do so without some star performers from that previous outing.
It finished 1-16 to 0-15 in Gaelic Park that day but some players including former Cork hurler Mark Ellis, who was impressive in midfield, have left the squad since.
“It is a big commitment to keep it up,” explains captain Jamie Boyle.
“A few guys left with work and other stuff. We’ve been doing this for six months.
We played mid-April, then another seven weeks of training. We haven’t let the foot off the gas. It is still four days a week. The big thing is we leave on a Wednesday and come home on a Monday.
“That is a lot of work missed. Some of the guys have families. There are definitely some guys dropping off the panel but we had 40 going into the Sligo game. We still have good numbers, just a few dropped off.”
From the Bronx to Tullamore. Johnny McGeeney’s side soon set sail having planned their trip extensively in recent weeks. It is a logistical challenge that a dedicated team of behind the scene’s stalwarts will arrange so the players can focus on what matters.
“It is a huge amount of planning,” says Boyle.
“So many people working behind the scenes. A lot of it we don’t see. We head Wednesday night on a late flight. We land Thursday morning. As of now, we are supposed to go to Down and train there Thursday and Friday. We hit the road after that.
“For us, the managers tell us when we train and the rest doesn’t concern us.”
The squad has been quietly changing in more ways than one. Several American-born players make up their panel, chief among them is Boyle. He grew up playing Gaelic football in upstate New York before leaving for college where American football took centre stage.
Having given up the game entirely, he was drawn back to the club scene with Saint Barnabas during the pandemic. The progression from there to the inter-county team came next. Gradually, they continue to build. Brick by brick, fusing Irish-Americans with a sprinkling of a few familiar names and a stack of young prospects.
“This is my first go with New York. It is tough to say it is better than the past but the amount of youth we have in the New York team, guys pushing for starting spots who are 20 or 21, is insane.
“Shane Brosnan was set to start in that Sligo game and injured his ankle a day or two previously. There are some hungry guys there. If they don’t get the nod they are the next up.”
And things are starting to turn.
“The biggest thing I saw was at work. I’m in construction. There is a lot of shite talk going on. Before that game, a lot of the Irish guys on site were saying we didn’t have a chance, half-truths and half breaking balls.
“After the game, there was a real statement of ‘Wow. Can’t believe ye hung in like that. Couple of breaks and it could have been a different result.’”
