Something no soccer ball can ever replicate

The feel of it, the smell of it, the bounce of it on a hard floor
The incredible longing you get to "kick a point" when you hold it, never a goal, always a point, preferably from a tight angle
Your idea of heaven is 20 minutes on a pitch on your own kicking points with a ball boy to return it to you each time
Its in you since you were a kid, out the back kicking points from a standing position over your shoulder pretending you were Dessie Farrell, Bernard Flynn, Kevin McStay, Mickey Linden or Johnny Crowley!

There is something, magical about that ball. Something intangible that just, makes you happy.

Every time you have it in your hands

Every. single. time

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 26/09/2018 11:00:42    2143896

waynoI (Dublin) - Posts: 13654 - 26/09/2018 11:23:28    2143899

can i have some of what you are smoking?i am off today so will drop up for it. :)

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3929 - 26/09/2018 11:56:28    2143908

Yeah fire me the address of the crack house too and will be with you in just over an hour :-)

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 26/09/2018 13:04:57    2143921

I agree, plenty of the most peaceful moments of solace are spent alone in the pitch with an O Neills in hand where every angle is inspected and every kick is adjusted for the wind and you tell yourself you will go when you kick 10 in a row from your preappointed pieces of grass but you never reach the 10 in a row, not for a long time because in reality you dont really want to go!!

And ill add,

There is no greater stress relief from the pressures of todays world than the simple mix of a hurl, a wall and a ball. It doesnt even have to be a sliothar, be it a tennis ball or if you really want to up the difficulty level a handball.

The hurls a crutch, a lever to get your mind clear, the frustration being let go as you leather that ball as hard as humanly possible against the wall with the sudden adjustment to a more gentle hold and touch as the ball rebounds at a ferocious pace and you attempt to kill the ball dead on your second touch on the hurl, a few flicks, twists and turns and again the ball is sent hurtling towards the wall, this time at a different height, angle to make the next move that bit different.

Im telling ye lads its the simple things and being just over 40 years of age these are still methods of simple stress relief i use to this day.

Maybe i should patent them and market them as the newest forms of stress relief on todays market ;)

tearintom (Wexford) - Posts: 1508 - 26/09/2018 14:39:53    2143945

As a kid I'd be disgusted if I was given a non O'Neill ball at training, it didn't feel real enough.

realdub (Dublin) - Posts: 8756 - 26/09/2018 15:14:33    2143953

Rosineri1 (UK) - Posts: 2099 - 26/09/2018 15:21:00    2143954

A wall, a ball and a hurl.

Simple pleasures are sometimes the best.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13803 - 26/09/2018 15:42:45    2143959

What ever you're on i want some of it

PyatPree (Cork) - Posts: 376 - 26/09/2018 16:08:24    2143966

Enjoyed that read! Very good.

Nothing like getting one full blast on the inside of your thigh on a cold wet morning... FFS!!

Big red throbbing round ball mark lasts for most of the game lol

It's a proper bit of kit that ball. Manly. Stitches and all.

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 26/09/2018 16:21:14    2143970

Glad to see so many of you feel my joy :)
To those who don;t "get it"
Can I ask, with genuine sincerity and not in a sarky way, do ye or did ye play football to any extent?

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8166 - 26/09/2018 17:08:35    2143981

O'Neill's balls need to be broken-in, there's a huge difference in flight between one fresh out of the packet and one that's felt a few thunderous clearances.

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 26/09/2018 17:24:58    2143982

I know what you mean. I love the feel of the ball in hand and the faint sound of a clean catch. Cutting in from the left and over with the inside of the right foot. I was never a free taker and for some reason I would always shoot better when someone was coming after me in a match.

Now retired, I love to puck the sliotar off the wall round my folks back yard. Can't do it round my way but I always watch the championship with my Da and I'll be out at half time the same way I always did as a kid and hopefully for many years to come.

Suas Sios (None) - Posts: 1558 - 26/09/2018 18:37:05    2143994

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 26/09/2018 20:44:13    2144020

I remember my first. I was 10 and was walking home from training one night. I took a shortcut behind Sarsfields GAA and Newbridge train station and that's when I stumbled across her buried deep in the bushes. My heart fluttered as I quickly reached down for her and swiftly placed her in my bag. Once home I got my mothers cleaning agents out and got about removing the crudely written "St Kevins" graffiti plastered all over her. I sat up all night looking at her like a demented Gollum from The Lord of the Rings....... "My precious" :-)

Kiwiq (Kildare) - Posts: 38 - 27/09/2018 02:24:00    2144052

Was wondering how many of your older subscribers remember the old brown leather ball with the lace stitching, it was notorious for losing its shape after a while, some ended up looking more square than round and others would look like a large tulip bulb, also on a wet day it's weight would multiply about tenfold, back then when the rain was falling and long before tactics were even invented we knew to push up on the goalkeepers kick outs as he would struggle to get it thirty yards.

cockneyrebel (UK) - Posts: 4 - 27/09/2018 08:35:31    2144058

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 27/09/2018 08:54:09    2144060

What is the difference between an All-Ireland, Trainer and County Ball from ONeills (excluding price) ?
€50 is a lot for a ball,

ref (Galway) - Posts: 254 - 27/09/2018 10:50:24    2144071

PyatPree (Cork) - Posts: 376 - 27/09/2018 11:48:30    2144091

Barrowsider (Carlow) - Posts: 1711 - 27/09/2018 11:48:41    2144092