PODGE COLLINS INSISTS there will be no u-turn in his decision to focus solely on football for Clare in 2015 and that it was ‘nothing personal’ when Davy Fitzgerald gave him an ultimatum to choose between the two codes for next season.
Collins filled a role as a dual player this season but despite his heroics with the Clare hurlers during their All-Ireland winning run last year, the Cratloe club man has opted to concentrate his energies on the county football squad next season.
“Davy felt it didn’t work last year and that’s fair enough so definitely in 2015 it won’t be happening and I don’t think I’ll be changing his mind, to be honest.
“I tried (to put his case to him.). It’s nothing personal, there’s no hard feelings, he said ‘look I felt it didn’t work this year’ and I said ‘if that’s your feeling on it, there’s no player bigger than the manager of Clare, you’ve the final word.’
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“It wasn’t an easy decision. I was in work, I was in a bad mood and getting grumpy with people I shouldn’t have been getting grumpy with. I always said from a young age, from U14′s – I never knew I’d be playing with Clare senior – but I said if anybody made me choose between one or the other, I would go to the other because I just love them both. I don’t know what people think of that but that is kind of what it came down to.”
Nonsense
Collins dismissed as ‘nonsense’ suggestions that being a dual player was the reason for his hurling form slumping in 2014.
“I honestly think that’s nonsense. The Wexford game was only starting and I did something stupid and got myself sent off. In the Cork game myself and Shane O’Neill, only two balls were hit down to us. I don’t think you can say the dual thing is why I had a bad year. Things just didn’t run for me and that’s fair enough, last year the ball just kept breaking for me and that’s GAA.”
The 2013 Allstar has also singled out avoiding injuries as the key aspect to pursuing a dual career and hasn’t ruled out combating the two codes in future.
“In my opinion, if you’re able to give it enough time you can do it. If you can avoid injuries at all. If you get injured and are not on either panel for three or four weeks and then you’re splitting your time between the panels, then it can be very hard.
“But if you went a year without injury and were there the whole time it is achievable. I’d love to think it is and would love to give it another go during my career.”
Collins revealed that Clare fans have contacted him on Facebook in the wake of his decision but he is glad to have put the issue to bed.
“Davy said he wanted me to pick on and said he’d love to have me. I said I was going to give the football a go and that was it then, a stonewall decision. It was a weight off my shoulders, it was over and I could just get on with the club.
“One of the things which I hadn’t thought about, we have such a great hurling following especially with kids and stuff, I was getting messages on Facebook. You feel you are letting them down but you have to make your decision and that’s it. I don’t know if they understand it but hopefully they will.”
Podge Collins: ' Davy felt it didn’t work last year and I don’t think I’ll be changing his mind'
PODGE COLLINS INSISTS there will be no u-turn in his decision to focus solely on football for Clare in 2015 and that it was ‘nothing personal’ when Davy Fitzgerald gave him an ultimatum to choose between the two codes for next season.
Collins filled a role as a dual player this season but despite his heroics with the Clare hurlers during their All-Ireland winning run last year, the Cratloe club man has opted to concentrate his energies on the county football squad next season.
“Davy felt it didn’t work last year and that’s fair enough so definitely in 2015 it won’t be happening and I don’t think I’ll be changing his mind, to be honest.
“I tried (to put his case to him.). It’s nothing personal, there’s no hard feelings, he said ‘look I felt it didn’t work this year’ and I said ‘if that’s your feeling on it, there’s no player bigger than the manager of Clare, you’ve the final word.’
“It wasn’t an easy decision. I was in work, I was in a bad mood and getting grumpy with people I shouldn’t have been getting grumpy with. I always said from a young age, from U14′s – I never knew I’d be playing with Clare senior – but I said if anybody made me choose between one or the other, I would go to the other because I just love them both. I don’t know what people think of that but that is kind of what it came down to.”
Nonsense
Collins dismissed as ‘nonsense’ suggestions that being a dual player was the reason for his hurling form slumping in 2014.
“I honestly think that’s nonsense. The Wexford game was only starting and I did something stupid and got myself sent off. In the Cork game myself and Shane O’Neill, only two balls were hit down to us. I don’t think you can say the dual thing is why I had a bad year. Things just didn’t run for me and that’s fair enough, last year the ball just kept breaking for me and that’s GAA.”
The 2013 Allstar has also singled out avoiding injuries as the key aspect to pursuing a dual career and hasn’t ruled out combating the two codes in future.
“In my opinion, if you’re able to give it enough time you can do it. If you can avoid injuries at all. If you get injured and are not on either panel for three or four weeks and then you’re splitting your time between the panels, then it can be very hard.
“But if you went a year without injury and were there the whole time it is achievable. I’d love to think it is and would love to give it another go during my career.”
Collins revealed that Clare fans have contacted him on Facebook in the wake of his decision but he is glad to have put the issue to bed.
“Davy said he wanted me to pick on and said he’d love to have me. I said I was going to give the football a go and that was it then, a stonewall decision. It was a weight off my shoulders, it was over and I could just get on with the club.
“One of the things which I hadn’t thought about, we have such a great hurling following especially with kids and stuff, I was getting messages on Facebook. You feel you are letting them down but you have to make your decision and that’s it. I don’t know if they understand it but hopefully they will.”
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