On two separate occasions Colin Casey was judged to be Eire Og's player of the year - due recognition for sterling service. After eleven years plying his skills for Eire Og's premier team, Colin Casey admits that his batteries are getting to the point where they'll need to be seriously recharged. In that respect, he's not alone among his fellow footballers from whatever club from whatever county in Ireland. The demands on a body's time and energies in the world of sport have increased enormously and it just seems that the meandering of the Celtic Tiger around the country has added to the frantic nature of life in Gaelic games' various lanes. In cricket parlance, Colin is 11 not out but he reckons he's on a sticky wicket as a new season rapidly approaches. The body is willing but the mind isn't so sure whether the collective is up to it though. It's clear that Colin is contemplating his next move off the field before takes his first steps on to the field of play in 2007. Maybe it would be helpful if he could re-wind the clock to 2005. In the round, it was a good year for Eire Og, especially at underage level. For his part, Colin - senior team captain - distinguished himself as well. Back then he was playing good football, enjoying his football and being recognised for it too. Being afforded the 2005 Player of the Year (second time around) by his fellow gaels in Smithboro seemed to reflect the vim and vigour he brought to the table at that stage of his career. "That was one of my better years," Colin says of '05. "It was a great honour to get the award, especially because it's from your clubmates," he adds. "I believe you only get out of something what you put in and I did put in the work and the time that year. If you put in the work, you will reap the rewards" Colin is well regarded by his club colleagues and club adversaries alike. He himself admires team-mates and opponents who have that never say die attitude and have the ability to do the simple things well and to keep doing them. Colin believes the percentage required at club level these days is much more than, say, 11 years ago when he first kicked a ball in anger for Eire Og's premier team. "There's definitely more demanded from players at club level now," he affirms. "The game has developed phenomenally at club and county level. Nowadays statisticians, physios and dieticians are common people among backroom staff. "The emphasis on fitness and training in general at clubs is increasing all the time. It's getting harder and harder for a lot of lads to combine playing and training regularly with work and whatever commitments they have with regards to the family. "More and more club teams are copying the regimes of county teams in terms of training schedules and preparation for the season. "Every club trainer is looking to get that bit extra out of the players he's working with - to get a step or two ahead of their rivals. Gaelic Football is an evolving game. New fads come and go." Colin has tremendous respect for the county player who decides to give it 100% all season long and any success reaped is well deserved, he feels. The theory that success isn't earned overnight but is invariably years in the cooking is one that Colin subscribes to. There is no magic formula in achieving success. He also concurs with the notion that winning makes it a tad easier for players to hang in there and give it their all for an extended period. Sadly Eire Og hasn't proven to be a honey pot in that regard during his time. "It's true that winning is a great incentive to keep your shoulder to the wheel. At the end of the day, clubs generally look at a year in terms of what cups or medals they've won and unfortunately we haven't had too many cup wins to celebrate down the years. "Success hasn't been achieved by us as easy or as often as some people might have thought or expected but you just keep going in the hope that you'll turn the corner." And why hasn't the glittering prizes meandered down Smithboro way more often? "That's the six million dollar question," Colin replies. "I'd say it's a combination of many different things and it'd be hard to pinpoint just one factor. I would say no matter what skill you have, if you are not industrious and willing to make sacrifices you will only partially succeed." Interestingly, Colin knocks back the suggestion that the numbers game has worked against Eire Og over the years in the sense that, while labourers were aplenty, the harvest hasn't always been so rich. He cites the example of Offaly hurling and the way the disciples of the small ball game there have worked the oracle at provincial and all-Ireland levels on various occasions since the 'eighties. "If you based success on numbers, Dublin would be wining the All Ireland every year, yet they have only won one title in the past 20 years" Success is cyclical. "I think, no matter what you're involved in, what you get out of something is in proportion to what you put into it." And what of the suggestion that the Smithboro club hasn't exactly got the rub of the green at different times over the years? "Luck plays a small part in shaping a team's record. It can't be the case that the Gods were always working against us." Reflecting on his innings with his native club, Colin finds it difficult to identify a stand-out year among the eleven he's enjoyed to date in the blue and yellow of Eire Og. He recalls the joy surrounding the club's JFL success in 2001 though when the club's top team went through the whole year unbeaten under the stewardship of team-manager Tony Lambe. "The 2001 squad was one of the best I've been involved with at the club. In other years there were better teams around but everything seemed to fall into place that year." Colin spent some time working in Boston and playing Gaelic football with the ambitious Aidan McAnespie's club there, an experience he totally enjoyed. He enjoyed his time Stateside but has no regrets about coming back to the 'oul sod. Any regrets about the cards handed him as a player on Emerald-side? "I suppose most players, if they were being honest, would have a regret or two. When you look back on the years and realise that you've played for eleven years without maybe getting the success you'd have hoped for, then you're naturally disappointed but it's not something I'd dwell on. There can only be one winner. If you done your best and lost, there is no shame." He says Eire Og could "always put it up to the best of them" at intermediate level At his best, as an attacking half-back, a few years ago, Colin got a few trials with the senior county team and, again, he's not one to dwell on what might have been had he cemented a place in the county squad. "I played in a few challenge games but never made the cut," he explains. "I think I gave it my best shot, but fell short of getting a run and that's all there is to it." Heading into another year and another season, Colin accepts that burn-out can be as much a psychological condition as a physical condition. He accepts too that keeping up with the Jones' (on the training field and the playing pitch) is getting harder the older he becomes. Colin is 27 now and as a self-confessed 'pen pusher' with Cavan based construction company, P. Elliott & Co. "A certain amount of burn-out kicks in the older you get and you definitely find the training tougher. "I suppose interest levels wane a bit too which is only natural. For any club player now that's playing on a reasonably successful team, the season is likely to go on from almost January to November which is a fairly long haul." But Colin acknowledges that with a new dawn comes new hope of success. Somehow the frustrations and disappointments of the year gone by dissipate when a new season emerges on the horizon and the players' banter turns to talk of the fixtures and the challenges the new season ahead will bring on the field. If, and when, he hangs up his boots, Colin says he'll miss the whole package that goes with club football. Involvement with the GAA is in the blood. His grandfather Jimmy Casey was a stalwart of the old club in Tydavnet while his uncle Martin soldiered for years with Scotstown. And his uncle-in-law Dessie McAree gave years of sterling service to Eire Og. "I've enjoyed playing for the club and playing against other clubs. A lot of people knock the GAA but it's a great organisation for making friends and there's a great social aspect to the GAA. Gaelic Football is so much a part of our culture. Everybody gets involved. It is parochial. Its pride in your colours." But he'll hardly be lost to the GAA when the time comes that he no longer feels able to commit himself 100% to the club as a player. "As long as I am healthy & feel I can contribute I will be involved at some level. Time is becoming more and more the problem though." Eire Og fans will be hoping that Colin can continue to give his time to the club for at least another while yet. Tweet

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