Daniel O’Mahony: Young footballers and clubs can benefit from playing Stateside

IT certainly was a mixed bag in 2022 for Knocknagree footballer Daniel O’Mahony.

The UCC finance student was one of many young GAA players who spent their summer in the USA. After a hugely competitive championship, O’Mahony helped his club Padraig Pearse lift the Chicago Senior Championship and, in the process, the club’s second consecutive title and then the club won the USG championship.

The talented defender returned to Cork at the end of August, and his return couldn’t have been timed better.

O’Mahony’s club Knocknagree were tittering on the brink of elimination from the Cork Senior A football championship and potentially a relegation play-off having lost their opening two games, but a win on the last day resulted in their progress to the knock-out stages against all odds.

The Duhallow club went all the way to the final, beaten by St Michael’s in the decider, and having been in the junior A ranks as recently as 2017, it would have been some story had they reached the top flight, with a population of around 600 inhabitants.

But nonetheless, the team in blue and white are still in an upward trajectory and with a nice mixture of youth and experience, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they went one better in 2023.

It has undoubtedly been a whirlwind year for the man from Tureen in the parish of Knocknagree, as the 22-year-old explains.

“I was contacted in March from Seán Tobin of Padraig Pearse GAA club would I have any interest in going over for the summer?

“I didn’t rush into making a decision, I spoke to players that have previously gone over and I felt it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.

“I moved to the USA at the end of June for the summer. It was worth it in the end as we won the Chicago championship and USG championship. Then I came back at the end of August, and it was do or die stuff with Knocknagree.

“It has been a busy year, it certainly has had its ups and downs.”

The topic of young GAA players heading over to America during the summer months has divided opinion, but for O’Mahony, who made his debut for Knocknagree in the 2018 IFC opening round game against Rockchapel, he would recommend it for any young player.

“I suppose it depends on the club situation at the time. I would have only missed one championship game with my club, but because we won the Chicago tournament, we progressed onto the USG championship, and I then missed the second group stage game with Knocknagree.

The way the split season is at the moment, there is definitely an opportunity for players to go, where there wasn’t with the old structure.

“If there was anyone thinking about going next summer, go for it, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The 6’ 1” defender came back in good time for his club, they had to win the last group stage game against Fermoy just to starve off a relegation play-off, which they did, and as it transpired they qualified for the knock-out stages and went all the way to the final.