By John Harrington

Ross Munnelly was always going to make himself available for an 18th championship campaign with Laois even after it was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Arles-Kilruise man turns 38 next month and is the longest serving outfield inter-county player in the game, but his passion for playing Gaelic Football at the highest level burns as bright as ever.

“Honestly it never crossed my mind throughout Covid, not to finish the season,” says Munnelly.

“That wouldn't make any sense to me at all.

“Every year is a challenge. There are new kids on the block, at both ends of the field that I'm competing with. It's something that I relish.

“You have the added incentive of trying to adapt now, playing championship heading into winter.

“It's all about the challenge, trying to reinvent myself and contribute at all times in a playing or non-playing capacity. It's a challenge I enjoy every time I put on the boots to go out and train.”

Munnelly made his debut for Laois back in 2003 and won a Leinster Championship in his very first campaign under manager Mick O’Dwyer.

He has since played for eight more Laois managers, and it’s a testament to his class and adaptability that he is still playing at the highest level even though inter-county football has changed a lot in the intervening 17 years.

“The professionalism around the game has changed a huge amount,” says Munnelly.

“It's far more in-depth with video analysis, strength and conditioning, nutrition, managing player load. Those in isolation are not enough.

“When you go out to play, you have to be able to win possession, kick, catch, shoot and pass with accuracy. No matter how much everything else is ramped up [those things are still important].

“If you look at the mark at the moment, it really is emphasising those skills that are key elements of the game. Maybe the people who brought about those changes felt they wanted to bring the game back to a more accurate kicking and catching game.

“The mark probably will play a big part coming into the championship in lesser footing conditions on pitches. The skills of the game have never been more important.”

Munnelly is Director of Alumni Relations in DCU and has managed many of the University’s Freshers Gaelic Football teams over the years.

He’s as much a student of Gaelic Football as he is an exponent, and he enjoys deepening his knowledge of the game at every opportunity.

“I always think that no matter what capacity you take on within the GAA or any aspect of what you're doing inside or outside of work, that you pick things up from those experiences,” he says.

“When I was coaching the freshers in DCU, you're trying to think about running a training session and season for 30 people. For me, that was a real reminder when I went back into the dressing room as a player, that I need to put a greater spotlight on making sure my own individual preparation is spot on based on the back of all their work.

“I think you learn from these things. Lockdown, from a time perspective, benefited me. For the first time in a long number years, I was very time rich. I'm living in Portlaoise and had been commuting to work in DCU.

“I was in the second year of the executive MBA in the DCU Business School. Working from the desk, not commuting and not having the collective training sessions, gave me a great perspective and amount of time to really focus on studies.

“So many aspects of completing an MBA are about multitasking and looking at so many different areas of business. In the last six months, I found that really, really rewarding. I was lucky and privileged when lockdown came that I didn't notice too much that things were shutting down. I was trying to do the best I could with the executive MBA. There's a huge amount of project work and assessments.

“My overall point is that in work or further education, I've always found that I can bring a lot of those transferable skills to a dressing room and how I approach a game. Particularly, to be adaptable. At one time, my game would have been built around speed. That was maybe for the first decade. I had to adapt and change. The more I do things that take me out of my comfort zone, it helps me to do that.

“For a long time playing, I would have been embedded in my own game and thinking about what were my strengths and so on. The experience of being involved in a club, coaching, additional study, show the bigger picture.

“One thing the pandemic has shown us is that we have to be able to adapt and change circumstances. That's something that I always try to bring at the start of every season: How am I going to be different? How am I going to compete against new defenders in the group who are razor sharp and fast? How am I going to keep contributing?

“That's a challenge. No matter what I do in life, I'll always take those transferable skills with me.”