EASTERN PROMISE
Playing football, hurling and AFL in Hong Kong is a life less ordinary but Caolan Rafferty swears the desire to line out in his beloved Armagh colours will never fade
HONG KONG can be at its most chaotic on Sundays. Most people have the day off and plan to spend it wisely, either by venturing to Victoria Park or catching up on some shopping. The crowded streets make a fine sight but Caolan Rafferty hopes to avoid the bustle this evening. All his attention will be on Kingspan Breffni Park. It’s Armagh’s first day out in the Championship and all week, he’s had mixed emotions. He is loving life out in Hong Kong, where he has been based with Merrill Lynch since last October, but part of him yearns for the nervous energy of this past week, when county players counted down the hours until the ball was thrown in for the Championship.
‘To be honest, I have only felt homesick twice since I came here,’ Rafferty says. ‘The week leading up to Armagh’s first League game, that was hard. And this week. You ask any player in the country and they will tell you that there is nothing better than the buzz around the camp the week before the first Championship outing of the season.’
Instead, Rafferty was preparing for a different type of outing this week. On Friday last, he travelled with his Hong Kong Dragons team-mates to the Filipino capital of Manilla to play in the Manilla Cup yesterday. It was the first time he did the trip with the AFL team that he has joined in Hong Kong. It wasn’t quite like the feeling of waking up on a Sunday morning, anticipating the bus journey to Clones. But it wasn’t far off it.
Although Jamie Clarke and Kevin Dyas are the two biggest names absent from Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh team that faces Cavan this afternoon, many within the county will also be lamenting the absence of Rafferty. He would have been a valuable asset in a relatively inexperienced team.
Last year, as the Orchard County fell asunder in their Championship opener against Donegal, Rafferty was one of the few to hold his nerve, scoring a point and underlining his status as one of the most consistent performers in McGeeney’s side. However, last October, a job offer that was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came up and Rafferty had to put his inter-county career on hold.
The 25-year-old didn’t know what to expect when he arrived in a city that is known as one of the global financial hubs. But he didn’t take long to adjust to the pace of life there.
‘I’m really enjoying Hong Kong. It’s completely different place to what I had imagined. Everyone speaks English, every cuisine in the world is at your doorstep. There is a beach 30 minutes in every direction, a really good social scene.
‘My mum and dad were very skeptical of the place before coming out a couple of months ago. But they ended up loving the place and not wanting to leave. And it’s very easy to travel around the rest of Asia from here.’
Rafferty has taken full advantage of the opportunity to see a bit of the world. Apart from Manila this weekend, he has already been to Macau, Guangzhou and Bangkok (for a friend’s stag). And next month, he will be part of the Hong Kong Gaelic football team that will play in the All-China Gaelic Games championship in Beijing.
DESPITE taking up Australian Rules in his new home, the Granemore native couldn’t give up on his true sporting love. Within a couple of days of touching down in Hong Kong, he got in touch with the local GAA club.
‘I’m sure that is what most Irish people now do when they move to a new city. They have been extremely welcoming and I have made some really good friends. There is a social event almost every weekend. I have played Gaelic and hurling as well as AFL here.’
The GAA games aren’t exactly what he will watch when he tunes to the action in Breffni Park later today. ‘I’ve played in a few games but nothing major yet.
The trip to Beijing is the second biggest competition of the year for Gaelic and Hurling in Asia so that will be interesting. But the games are nine-a-side, so there is a lot of running which isn’t great in 30 degrees-plus heat.’
While a lot has been said about county players putting their professional careers on hold for their sport, Rafferty must have a fresh perspective on how much time and effort now goes into the inter-county game.
‘Being a county player is demanding and sacrifices need to be made. But nobody is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to do it. Most players, if they are given a night off, probably go to the pitch to hone a skill or hit the gym. They don’t want to waste a night because that gives someone else the chance to get better than them.
‘It’s not just county players that make sacrifices. I remember reading a book about a runner that said his favourite day of the year to train was Christmas day because he knew that all his competition wouldn’t be training and it would be an opportunity for him to get one over on them.
‘Yes it’s an amateur sport, but everyone playing it is a serious competitor, they want to be the best and they want to win. Sure there are times when you wish you had some more free time but when you step away it leaves a large hole in your life,’ Rafferty explains.
‘When I suddenly discovered I had the free time in Hong Kong, I decided to take up two more sports, AFL and hurling, because I wanted to be in that environment most nights of the week, training and competing.’
He stays in touch with many on the Armagh panel and is hopeful they can turn things around this afternoon. ‘Cavan are playing some good football this year, but I have full faith in this Armagh team that they can come away from Breffni with the win.’
As for his own Armagh career, he doesn’t know when that will resume. ‘I’d obviously love to pull on the Armagh jersey again but It’s hard to know at this stage. I’m just taking it one year at a time and reassessing after each.’
But as he watches his friends and former teammates step out in Breffni Park this afternoon, there will be part of Caolan Rafferty who wishes he was there – even if he is enjoying life, half a world away.
When I realised I had the free time, I took up two more sports