Waikato, not exactly a GAA stronghold… until now.
The way things are going, those involved with rugby in New Zealand may soon have cause to be concerned with being overtaken by GAA as the country’s primary sport.
Granted, that might be more than a slight exaggeration, but our native games are certainly making their mark in a country about as far away from Ireland as you can get.
We already featured tales from one New Zealand club, Celtic GFC Auckland, on the site a while back and now it’s the turn of Naomh Críostóir GAA in Hamilton, about an hour and half south of New Zealand’s biggest city.
Only in existence a year, Naomh Críostóir have already made a big impression, forming a keen rivalry with another newly-formed club in the area, Counties Manuaku GAA, and, for some reason, proving irresistible to Cork people of GAA backgrounds on the North Island.
We caught up with club member Padraig Meany to tell us more about one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing GAA clubs.
Focus on Naomh Críostóir
Club: Naomh Críostóir GAA, Waikato, NZ
Year established: 2015
Number of members: We’ve a base of about 40 players and you could add in another 30+ regular social members.
Biggest rivals: Just because they are newly established and bordering us, Counties Manuaku GAA.
Biggest representation from a club/county in Ireland: The most frequent conversation in the club goes a little bit like this.
New person arrives, eyes light up…
‘So where are you from?’
‘Cork, boy.’
End of conversation.
Facepalm.
Most famous ever member: The recently departed Aoife Moriarty served her time with the Kerry Ladies Footballers.
Most memorable moment in the club’s history: Competing at last year’s New Zealand Feis in Auckland with our own team and in this year’s NZ Championships in our own kit.
Most eye-catching scoreline in the club’s history: Our first home game was a win against Counties Manukau in a challenge; the score was 9-17 to 2-9.
The head-to-head in the local derby now stands at 2-1 to Naomh Críostóir GAA.
The stakes are very high, as each game adds one more element to what has become known as the ‘Derby Dinner Set’.
Winner takes all.
Player who makes the longest commute to training: Clare “The Powerhouse” Power travels up from Te Awamutu for each training session. That’s not an easy task with three kids to look after and a couple of hundred cows to milk.
A bit of a Mother Hen to a few of the younger lads, there’s also no better woman to put manners on them… with her karate.
Most dedicated club person: Without a doubt that would be Nollaig Trevarthen, our President.
Without her we wouldn’t have a club. Nobody knows this better than the club committee, who always have a couple of e-mails when they get home at night… which they all look at… isn’t that right Séamus Callanan?
Player who could have made it if big if love/career/drink didn’t get in the way: Rumour has it Séamus Callanan was to be the next big thing in Cork as a dual player. He did end up as a dual player, but unfortunately for the people of Cork, it was as a womaniser and drinker.
Biggest character: The auld stock John Davis. This mature Dubliner enjoys getting out playing GAA and always comes to training with a smile and is full of mischief.
He gave a few of us a good laugh when he pulled his hammy setting up the cones one day.
Loudest in the dressing room: We don’t really use our dressing rooms but the loudest would have to be our trainer Ciara Yeomans. Although she throws out the few threats of sprints and push-ups, her bark is worse than her bite.
Number of romances started in the club: One to date (that we know of!) between a Kilkenny lad, Padraig Meany, and a Sligo woman, Sinéad Glynn.
It’s hard to know if it was Meany’s fine Kilkenny football skills or Sinead’s boxing skills one night in Fr. Ted’s that set the wheels in motion. Kevin Dunphy has also been known to text the odd lady newcomer; we’re sure it’s just him being friendly and offering to show them around.
We’ve also noticed a few bromances forming within the club. The most notable would have to be Meany and Dunphy, who can usually be spotted in Keystone and The Bank on a Saturday night.
Duck to water award – Best new player who had never played GAA before: It would have to be our Austrian chap Simon Hirschbichler.
Drinking in our local, Biddy Mulligans, one night, he got roped into coming to training. We couldn’t get rid of him after that. He played a few league matches in Auckland and scored an outrageous goal.
It wasn’t given as it hit the bar in the corner of the net and came back out. The umpire was about 80 and didn’t even realise there had been a shot, such was the ferocity.
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