ENDINGS ARE RARELY subtle. They land with a bang and drag on, strident. Sustained. Reinforced again and again. Sometimes the reminder is subtle, often it is less so. For every comment in the street there is that roar from the sideline.
Luke Towey was not long off the plane when he made his return for St Molaise Gaels in the latter stages of the Sligo championship. His two-year stint with AFL outfit Gold Coast Suns had just concluded, the news was yet to be officially announced. That might have saved the repeated explanations, but professional sport rarely affords such smooth transitions.
Jeers were inevitable. That much he knew. Thankfully, they proved tame.
“In fairness, I hardly got anything in the semi-final or final. The only jibe was, ‘look, Mr Australia! Mr Australia, you know how to kick the ball do you?’” he explains with a laugh.
“That was the only thing in fairness. No nastiness, it was funny as.
“My first touch was a sideline ball actually. They started shouting that and then, well, I forgot the sideline rules. Still in the Australian mindset, I stepped over the line right in front of their bench. The roar was something else! That is all a part of it in fairness. I’m sure I will get worse. So far, it’s all grand.”
Now he makes ready for a colourful winter. That is how life has been recently; nonstop. On the Friday, it was confirmed his contract would not be extended. Come Monday, the 21-year-old was in a DCU administration office and ready to return to the third year of a business degree. Plans were already in place for the big three: education, accommodation, Sigerson.
It was August 2019 when the Queensland outfit announced they had signed a second Irishman. Veteran Pearce Hanley was well established, the Mayo native had just been appointed vice-captain. Towey was highly touted, having clocked a blistering 2.82sec over 20m at the combine.
Rewind to the previous summer for the beginning. A summer in Santa Ponsa, the lads holiday repeatedly interrupted as an assumed scammer tried to call his phone.
Then they left a message. Not the usual tactic for a con. He had no credit so couldn’t ring his voicemail to listen to it. Eventually, the phone was topped up and the message heard. It was an invitation to the AFL Europe combine.
Initial confusion quickly became excitement.
Within months, he was visiting a host of clubs in Melbourne. Then one in Queensland. That is where he eventually signed with the league’s youngest side. The Suns had endured seven unsuccessful seasons since joining the AFL in 2011. In 2019, they launched ‘Project Rebuild’. A fresh slate and defined bid to break the cycle of failure. The club and their new Irish recruit were all set for a new adventure.
2020 laid waste to those plans. Covid came and the club was forced to cut back. In his debut campaign, Towey was left without a development coach. The reserve league where he was supposed to cut his teeth was cancelled. His only other confidant retired in the middle of the season.
At the end of the two years, his contract was up and both parties needed to make a decision. Towey returned to Sligo and awaited their call. Meanwhile, he looked around at his partner, friends and family who had been unable to visit. He met with Tony McEntee and chatted about his plans for the future of Sligo football. He looked at his yet to be completed course in DCU, knowing he would not be able to defer for a third time.
“Obviously, I wanted to go back. You are so torn. If you boil it down, I had one thing over there and ten things here. You sacrifice so much for two years. Covid just ruined everything for any Irish lad. It was an unbelievable experience, but it really restricted what we could do.
“Everyone is affected, but it makes it harder when you are so far from home. They don’t understand that. When you don’t want them to see you as an Irish player, they do. When you want them to, they don’t.
“The first year I had no development coach. He got let go after a month because of Covid cuts. So I had no coach, no development plan and no games because the reserve league was canned.
“Then Pearce going, it was disappointing. It was a shock to me. I was really upset, it felt like he was the only person I had.
“This year, (Rhyce) Shaw came in and completely changed everything for me. He was amazing. I was on the phone to him this week. He just bought in and we developed a relationship, both of us on the same page. I could tell he believed in me and that I could do it.
“My last game in the VFL, I was playing half-back. In my first game I had six disposals. Second game, I had eight or nine. This game I’d 26. We did a rating system for my games. One was basically pack it in, another one meant you were all right. Two some good stuff, another two well rounded. Three, really good. It meant massive impact, offensively, defensively, contest. Four, you are playing AFL this week.
“That game I got a three from him. I had a clear plan of progress. I was getting twos and ones at the start. Then when I got a three, that was my last competitive game. He went into the match selection committee room and said ‘look, I can’t do much more. He is on track, just needs to keep going.’
“He was unbelievable for me. It was tough for him for it to end up the way it did. He did everything he could. That gives you real confidence. He has been there and done it. A high calibre coach that backs you.”
For two years, Australian Rules held him in a tight fist. It forced him to think day-by-day, strive step-by-step towards a senior debut. To not reach that goal is a big disappointment, particularly because it was not due to lack of ability or effort. Timing and conditions hampered recent recruits across the board. No one’s fault. Still tough to swallow.
“I’m so happy to be home but I am struggling most with that. Even Rhyce said ‘you need to come out and go to another club. I really think you can do it, try somewhere else.’ Hearing that was good. At the same time, it is also the hardest thing.
“I think I could’ve made it. Circumstances pulled it away. That is the hardest thing to deal with. What if? What if it was normal or if there was no Covid? It is no one’s fault. But Covid destroyed it.
“It is weighing on me a bit. Shawy said you need to come out and it hadn’t crossed my mind until he said that. Definitely. It is the toughest part. Even thinking about it now…”
He horsed into it from the get-go. The first 2km time trial was torturous. Such a distance was unchartered territory, so he burst out of the gates only to realise around the 400m mark this was no sprint. The rookie finished second last that day. This year Towey was clocking sub-6.40.
Everything had to change. Train like a marathon runner instead of a sprinter. Pass and go instead of carry. Traits typically advantageous here had to be deployed differently over there.
“You think you are quick, then you go there and realise the difference. If they can touch you, you’re done for. In Gaelic, it is fine to be an arm’s distance away. You can burst away.
“There, if you are within an arm, they can get a hand to you and just pull you down. It is not a case of running around people really. If you try that you’re in trouble.”
Gaelic football was on the backburner for much of his time away, occasionally reappearing on the horizon like a rainy day. During the offseason, he and a friend decided on a whim to wander down to the local oval and observe the GAA club training. In the end they found themselves drawn in, nothing serious and all the more enjoyable for it.
When the coach inevitably noticed his ability and asked could he come back the following weekend for a game, all he could do was laugh. Now, finally, he can get back to it.
Last week, DCU started Towey in midfield in a league tie against UCD. There he faced off against another former AFL recruit, Westmeath’s Ray Connellan. The post-game pain was a surprise and severe. Transitioning back will take time.
Soon he will link up Tony McEntee’s Sligo squad. His Gaelic football prowess may have earned a move Down Under. His AFL experience ensures he has plenty to bring back.
“Especially around processes,” he explains. “I don’t even mind the ratings. We did little things that made a big difference. For games, we all had a trigger word. Everyone in the backline had something.
“Mine was always ‘first three steps.’ If I fucked up or switched off, the defensive line would know to say ‘Luke, first three steps.’ Trigger you to get back. Just a way to keep you grounded and focused. One of the lads was ‘breathe.’ ‘You got him.’ ‘Be physical.’ We all knew each other’s.”
Play football with the club and Sligo, finish his degree in Dublin. That is the plan now. And, make no mistake, it is nice to have one. For too long, he was looking at shifting goalposts. Unsure of fixtures, training location, travel possibilities and his own future.
The end? In one sense. But it is also the beginning. Gold Coast was home for two years now, but Sligo is where he drops his emotional anchor. For better and for worse, he rode a rollercoaster Down Under. Luke Towey is no doubt it will stand to him now, particularly as he finally gets the chance to pursue a childhood dream.
“I am so happy right now. It is the first time in three years I can actually think long-term. In the six months leading up to getting signed, you don’t know what the story is. For the first time in 30 months, I can make plans and I know what I’m doing. It is the first time I can think about the future because everything was up in the air for so long. That is not easy to deal with.
“I am delighted to be back playing as well. I’ve skills to work on but that’ll come with time. I’ve only one full game under my belt so far. Even to know I’ll be back for testing with the county soon. I grew up my whole life dreaming about playing with Sligo. I can’t wait to get going.”
Originally published at 0830
