New York GAA: Looking back and forward

With 2009 now here, the last 12 months already seem like a lifetime ago. I don't know if that is age or experience talking, but looking forward is sometimes far more enjoyable than the actual doing in this crazy world of ours.

Last year the New York GAA had far more hills than valleys in its 365 fun packed days, and we will look back at both as we recollect over the sporting highlights of the last twelve months. Both personally and professionally it was jam-packed, with the year starting in the first week with the New York college team that did so well when it represented New York at the British university games in Birmingham. To train them was a privilege and a memory that will last forever as we pushed the eventual winners of our division, Manchester, all the way before bowing out. The lads did the Big Apple proud with some tremendous performances with Danny Hannon as manager. (We started training a couple of weeks ago for this year's competition).

Astoria Gaels, who I managed in '08, had their first game against that same squad, and we finished the year on a high note with a second defeat on the field of our long time nemesis Kerry in a thriller of a quarterfinal on a Saturday evening. I firmly believe that if the game went on for another two hours that we would not be defeated on that evening as we used one sub (it's all we had) for three blood injuries and kept moving ahead of the reigning county champs. When a player with a gash that eventually needed seven stitches says to you, "I am not coming off, just make it stop bleeding," you knew it was a day for the ages. The loss of that game in the courts will leave a sour taste for a long time, but as Pat Burke, a former county player for Galway told me in December, one of the reasons we stay in the GAA despite all the knocks is the fact that we meet far more people that we genuinely are delighted to meet, and they easily outnumber the ones that leave a negative mark on us.

What of the rest of the year? As in years past, we will look at some of the stories individually, but some items stick out munificently. Team of the year: Tyrone. Junior A champions, Junior A knockout champions. Joe Paterno said, "The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital." Fergus Daly had Tyrone as well prepared as any seen in New York in many a day. The fact that he had fantastic talent in his squad certainly helped, but they were drilled to perfection. They peaked at the semifinal and final stages with unbelievable showings. Their drills that they used as warm-ups should be the template that New York uses. No excuse not too.

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