Going that extra mile
April 30, 2011Canada, Australia and the UK are the most popular choice of destination for those heading abroad. GAA players generally link up with local clubs overseas and continue playing, but for some the lure of leaving their own club and county is just too much.
One such player is Castletown-Geoghegan and Westmeath stalwart Joe Clarke, who has clocked up thousands of miles since last year travelling from work to games. For Joe is based in London, having secured a job in the English capital after Christmas.
However, the talented hurler and footballer travelled even further in 2010 when he was based on the Island of Jersey, home to fictional television detective Bergerac and part of the Channel Islands.
The geographical positioning of Jersey means that there are no direct flights from Dublin to the island, but still this didn't stop Joe form making the arduous trip home most weekends to play for both Castletown and sister club St Malachy's on occasion.
"I spent five months in Jersey last year and it was towards the second half of the year and the senior hurling championship was still on. I was always going to continue playing for the club, but it was awkward travelling over and back as there was no direct flights and I had to get a connecting flight in London and the same going back," revealed Joe.
"It wasn't easy but it was something that I wanted to do. I missed a good bit of the football last year, but was home for all the hurling matches. The county was finished at the time, so it was just the club hurling I was really coming home for at that stage."
A typical weekend for Joe entailed taking a half day from work on a Friday before getting a flight from Jersey to London and then flying on to Dublin before travelling home to Castletown Geoghegan, then playing a game on the Saturday or Sunday before repeating the journey in the opposite direction.
The travelling was a testament to the man's dedication to his club and although the trips home did not yield any silverware at club level, Joe had a memorable year on the county front.
Westmeath's quest to win their third Christy Ring Cup proved successful as they pipped Kerry to the title in a pulsating contest played at Croke Park. It was an amazing turnaround given that the Lake County had a mediocre league campaign.
"Our league form was poor to say the least and we were fortunate to stay in division 2, beating Down in the last match to ensure survival, but we regrouped after that for the Christy Ring and with every game we seemed to improve. The final itself could have gone either way, but fortunately for us, we held on for the win."
This was Joe's third success in the second tier championship and one that saw him deliver many outstanding performances, which were recognised by his peers as he was voted the 2010 Christy Ring Cup Player of the Year.
"It was a great honour to receive such an award, but it was really in recognition of the team as a whole," added Joe modestly. "It was important for the county to get into the top tier as that is where we went to be."
The 2011 campaign will see Westmeath compete for the Liam McCarthy Cup and Joe stressed that they are not looking beyond their opening round fixture, which is against old rivals Carlow.
"We would be hopeful that we could make some sort of an impact in the Leinster championship, and even to beat Carlow in our first year up there would be a major achievement. Playing against the top teams is the only way that we will improve and all the players want to be up there."
Since starting his new job in London, Joe is still travelling home to line out for Westmeath after manager Kevin Martin talked him in to doing so and he admits that having travelled from Jersey last year, travelling from London is far easier.
"I can leave the flat here in London of a Friday evening and I can be at home a few hours later, so in that respect it is great. Kevin spoke to me about coming home and I said I'd give it a try and so far it is going ok."
Joe is not the only player to be making the journey from London back to play for his county as fellow Westmeath player Brian Smyth also makes the same journey, while Offaly's David Kenny is in a similar predicament and the 25-year-old admits that they are some of the lucky ones.
"The situation is that lads must travel for work and it's just the way things are at the moment. Brian and I are fortunate that we have the option of coming home, but for many they don't have that option. Kevin has arranged for us to train over here and to be honest, the travelling is not too bad at the moment."
Joe is determined to continue coming home for the club championship which begins later in the year as winning another senior championship medal to add to the one he won in 2004 is high on his list of priorities.
"It's not seven years since I won my one and only senior championship medal and if I'm honest I didn't think it would be that long and it just proves that you can take nothing for granted. In 2009, we had a great year under Damien Fox when we reached the semi -final, but last year was nothing short of a disaster as we failed to get beyond the group stages."
Castletown-Geoghegan have undoubtedly being one of the most successful underage clubs in the county over the past few years, and many followers within the hurling fraternity believe that it is only a matter of time before they lift the Westmeath Examiner Cup for a 12th time, but Joe is honest in his assessment of their chances.
"We probably think we are a bit better than we really are," he said frankly. "We have no given right to go out and win the championship. In fact we are a good bit behind Raharney and Clonkill at the moment. But, I do believe that we have the players to win it and if the right attitude and effort are put in then there is no reason why we can't go all the way.
"Ray Gavin has come in this year and he would have a good knowledge of all the players in the club, especially the young lads and he would be well respected by everyone. It is up to the few of us that have been there a few years now to encourage the young lads and help bring them along. The hunger and desire seems to be there, so we just have to knuckle down and work harder than ever."
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