By Thomas O'Callaghan

‘Dual-player' is a term you're less likely to hear about in this day and age compared to the past when it comes to the Inter-County scene.

However, for Sligo's Gerard O'Kelly-Lynch, plying both trades is a way of life for the young Sligo prodigy.

Growing up in Sligo, hurling was his primary game and first love, and he achieved a lot of underage success with his local hurling club, Naomh Eoin.

In 2013, at the age of just 17, he was brought into the Sligo Senior hurling squad where he quickly established himself as a crucial player. But it was in 2015 that his GAA career took a different direction.

After winning the Sligo Senior Football Championship with his club St. Mary's in 2015, Gerard was named Player of the Championship after some excellent performances for the Sligo town outfit. This then lead to a call from then Sligo football manager, Niall Carew, ahead of the upcoming 2016 campaign and left Gerard with a decision to make.

"It's definitely something you aspire to be when you're young, to say you play for your County," O'Kelly-Lynch told GAA.ie "Obviously, when you play both sports when you're young as well you always envisage yourself playing for both codes.

"I suppose County Football is something I didn't really expect to be playing over the age of minor, to be honest.

"When I got the call the first time I was actually quite surprised to hear that I was being considered for the football panel. It took me a few weeks then to commit to it because I just wasn't sure, it was something I hadn't thought about.

"I got talking to the Sligo football manager at the time, Niall Carew, and I said I'd give it a go. Obviously, for myself, the main thing was that I'd be ok to still play hurling for Sligo as well at the same time”.

Commiting to playing both codes at the highest level wasn't an easy decision to make, so O'Kelly-Lynch sought the advice of others close to help him make a final call.

"I wouldn't say it was fully my own decision," he said. "There are people close to me that I would have had a chat with, my parents of course.

"But, again, I was just more shocked to get the call at all. I kind of wanted to keep it quiet until I see how I got on as well because there's no guarantee that it would work out. I'd been on the hurling panel for a few years so I was used to the set up there but starting off on the football team I didn't know how it was going to play out at the time."

No season is easy for any County player, but 2019 will see O'Kelly-Lynch playing both codes with Sligo for a fourth successive year. He admits that perceptions on him playing both football and hurling have changed over the years, with communication playing a key role when accommodating both squads.

"The one thing is once you start off not everyone would be aware of your extra commitments," said O'Kelly-Lynch. "There wouldn't have been many lads on both sets of panels that would be aware or conscious that I was playing both codes.

"As years went on the players now know I'm intent on playing both when possible. Obviously, there are times a decision has to be made as well.

"In terms of training, the way I find it is once there's good communication between yourself and the management teams and you let them know your plans regarding any collisions or clashes that may arise, that way you can plan around it - communication is definitely a key factor with it."

As challenging as playing both codes may be, the 23-year old feels that there are parts of his game taken from one code that has actually helped him excel in the other code.

"In terms of football, I notice you tune in a lot more to the smaller details, the things you mightn't think about," he said. "Obviously, nutrition is a big thing there. Getting yourself mentally prepared from the football set-up is definitely one that I've incorporated personally into the hurling set up as well.

"In terms of what I brought into my football game from playing hurling, I think that would have to be vision. Obviously with a smaller ball and that your perspective or vision is a huge aspect to the game of hurling so I think that's certainly something I've brought from my hurling game into my football game so on that front you would pick up experiences that you could bring from one camp to the other."

In terms of inspirational players growing up, it was only when he became a dual-player himself that he looked at those who had previously done it which reassured him that it was possible.

"I suppose when I got the opportunity to play both I was looking to see how other lads got on," said O'Kelly-Lynch.

"At the time, I knew Paul Seevers and Keith Raymond had done it before for Sligo so I knew it could be done. You also see the likes of Keith Higgins who's been playing it for years now for Mayo.

"He seems to have the right balance between both codes and has a good commitment to them when needed. I know Podge Collins for Clare gave the dual role a go as well for a year or two so I kind of looked at those lads that were trying both and took encouragement from them."

The biggest challenge to date for O'Kelly-Lynch was June 23rd 2018, which, it's safe to say, was an action-packed day for him.

Having just won the Lory Meagher Cup with Sligo at the 3rd time of asking in the baking sun at Croke Park, O'Kelly-Lynch had to make a quick dash back to Markievicz Park to help the Sligo footballers in their Round 2 football qualifier against Armagh.

Looking back on that day, O'Kelly-Lynch reflected what was going through his head on the commute back up the M4 to Sligo.

"When you're playing the games it's easy to forget about it. On the journey down from Croker I was buzzing from the win earlier on in the day and you remember you still have a knock-out qualifier game to play a couple of hours later then so it was a weird feeling alright going back in the car to Markievicz for the qualifier game but again you just try and get on it with like.

"Whatever feelings or emotions you have at the time that's just the way it is. Once you get there then you tune in for the game during the warm-up and give full dedication to it."

Although there wasn't much luck for the footballers of Sligo on that Sunny Summer's day in June, it was still a special day for O'Kelly-Lynch as he finally got his hands on the Lory Meagher Cup after losses in the 2015 and 2016 finals for Fermanagh and Louth respectively.

"In both the 2015 and 2016 finals we were cruising at one stage and if it was like that for 70 mins we could have put up a massive score but that's just the way sport is," he said.

"We've struggled to finish out games for a few years and in both those [Lory Meagher] finals against Fermanagh and Louth, we couldn't get over the line.

"So when we played Lancashire in the final last year we got off to a good start again and they also came back well towards the end and at that stage the worst thing you could be thinking is 'here we go again' but luckily enough we got a goal through Kevin Gilmartin towards the end to put us back in front and we managed to hold out then till the final whistle went."

Winning the Lory Meagher cup with Sligo hurlers wasn't the only big achievement O'Kelly-Lynch experienced in 2018. He was selected for the Hurling/Shinty international against Scotland, which was a tremendous personal honour, and one he didn't see coming.

"Yeah, it was great! The management team were trialling lads up in Abbotstown for a few weeks so I said I'd go along to one of them once I got the call.

"To be honest, I was just as surprised as anyone when I was told that I actually made the panel.

"It was a huge honour now to play with lads from Tipperary, Clare, Waterford, places like that. Counties that we wouldn't be anywhere near playing in terms of County level for Sligo so playing with the likes of them players and going off representing your Country is definitely an honour, it's something I'll always remember."

The dual player at the highest level is a very rare species now, but O'Kelly-Lynch still believes there is a future for those that want to play both codes for their county.

"I'd like to think so," he said. "I think it all comes down to time management. I suppose even just player management. You can do all the gym sessions and tick all the hard running sessions off without doing it twice, you know?

"At the end of the day it's all about putting the ball over the bar which is what wins you the games so if you can keep the skill levels high in both, just keep the eye in especially in hurling with the wall ball every day, it's great for just keeping the touch up and keeping the eye where it should be. I like to think there's still a future for it, I hope so anyway.

"You can only play both if you want to play both. The main thing is to give yourself some time to consider it, at the end of the day if you feel like you can give both a go, I'd encourage that".