RORY Grugan has firmly rejected the notion that the demands placed on inter-county players have become too great.
Speaking at Thursday night's Dr McKenna Cup launch at Belfast’s Balmoral Hotel, the Armagh forward says he enjoys the discipline and camaraderie of the inter-county game.
“I don’t think the demands any more [than previous years] in terms of the amount of sessions,” he said.
“They stay pretty much the same. It’s probably more the way the game has gone in terms of analysis of your own game and how you look at it yourself. You’re probably thinking about it more when you’re away from it – you put so much time into it, psychologically as well as physically.
“There seems to be this narrative that there is so much commitment required and people don’t want to do it.
“But I haven’t been talking to too many county players who don’t want to be there.
“If you’re going to decide to be there you have to want to be there. Boys are so driven in our county and in other counties and they’re so determined to win for their county, they’re willing to push themselves and they enjoy being part of it, that camaraderie with your team.
“Training like a professional athlete, eating well and all of that, players enjoy that type of lifestyle. I know I certainly enjoy it. You just hope at the end of it you have something to show for it.”
Because of the Dr McKenna Cup starting slightly earlier than usual and the group stages having been condensed into seven days means some tweaks for Grugan over the Christmas period.
“We’ll get a few days off around Christmas, near enough a week off, and because the McKenna Cup is starting on January 3, I suppose it changes your New Year’s Eve plans a wee bit; it just means you enjoy your Christmas and Boxing Day a wee bit more. I’ll still eat plenty of turkey!”
Despite Armagh’s devastating end to their summer – an 18-point defeat to Tyrone – Grugan still takes away some good memories from a roller-coaster time in the orange jersey.
“I’ve probably two highlights – winning down in Tipperary [in the All-Ireland Qualifiers] especially the way the League finished. We were really hurt by the way the League ended and how that game against Tipperary ended with the late goal.
“So, for us to win down in Thurles with a late goal ourselves and just the way it ended with their free-kick and everybody on the line, it was helter-skelter.
“The other highlight was at the end of the Kildare game and winning a big game in Croke Park, something I haven’t really experienced in my career so far, and the satisfaction of knowing that we’d got to an All-Ireland quarter-final.”
Grugan won an All-Ireland minor title with Armagh in 2009 and was always destined for a bright career at senior level.
His cameo appearances in 2014 were one of the glowing features of Paul Grimley’s side in reaching the last eight of the All-Ireland series.
His studies in Liverpool and Paris meant that he missed the following season but he rejoined the panel upon his return home.
“I’m 26 – one of the veterans of the squad – especially when you see some of the new boys coming in who are 19 or 20; it still feels I’m that age myself.
“I remember doing an interview last season and in one of the games I was the oldest outfield player – and I was 25 at that stage.”
Grugan is optimistic about the season ahead especially with some younger players establishing themselves as regulars in 2017 while the Ballymacnab man also hailed the recruitment of Jim McCorry as selector.
“Niall Grimley and Stephen Sheridan really stepped up last season,” said Grugan.
“Niall has got that recognition by playing on the International Rules team. Stephen Sheridan was probably our most consistent player over the course of the year.
“Before last season they probably hadn’t established themselves as county players but Niall and Stephen ended up being our two best players.”
Last week, Armagh announced that former Armagh and Down manager Jim McCorry would be joining Geezer’s backroom team.
After the players' first meeting with the former Kilcoo boss Grugan was immediately impressed.
“I was delighted when I heard the news. We actually met Jim for the first time last Wednesday night and even to listen to him speak for a couple of minutes, introducing himself, his ideas and what he’s about, we’re very excited to get to work with him.
“Speaking to anyone who has worked with him they have only good things to say about him. The success he had with Kilcoo and how he pushed Down on the year he had with them, it really bodes well for us. He’s the type of man that Geezer likes to work with. He talks straight and I think he’s going to improve us, big time.”
