MOONEY’S NOT DOWN IN DUMPS
Down Antrim Tonight, Pairc Esler, 7pm
v CAOLAN MOONEY admits that he took a couple of years to find his feet after his AFL experience.
Mooney followed countyman Marty Clarke in signing for Melbourne outfit Collingwood (below) and made it all the way to the first team in 2012 before returning to Ireland two years later.
He struggled to readjust to Gaelic football though and even quit the Down panel in 2016 before returning last year and catching the eye as they reached the Ulster final.
He’s satisfied he’s maintained that trajectory this year even if the team hasn’t fared so well.
“It took me a couple of years, definitely,” he said
“I had a decent League and I’m trying to build on it but there’s no point doing it in the
League and not in the Championship.”
Expanding on his difficulties with readjusting from one code to another, he explained: “It’s just they are different sports. Fitness-wise I needed to get myself up to speed.
“Gaelic is more sprintingorientated whereas Aussie Rules is more of a consistent pace. “By the end of the games in both sports you are wrecked, but it took me a couple of years to find my feet when I came back and I can admit that now.
“I am happy with where I am at now.
“I wish my scoring was a bit better. I chipped in with a few points in the League but I always like to get at least one per game so if I do that in Championship I’ll be happy enough,” said the flying wing-back.
Down suffered relegation to Division Three in the League this spring, with the fact that they lost two of their three home games especially costly.
They start their Ulster SFC campaign in Newry against Antrim tonight.
“It is annoying. We have done better away from home this year. We lacked a bit of confidence. “We missed a lot especially against Clare and that was the result which came back to bite us in terms of relegation. “People always write Antrim off but last year they pushed Donegal hard and if they’d taken a few early goal chances it could have been a different story.” DERRY DONEGAL TV TIMES: Highlights on The Sunday Game, RTE2 9.30pm