Mullinahone.net

NEVER give up in sport, ever. You want evidence — just look to Tipperary’s Paul Curran, full-back for tomorrow’s All-Ireland semi-final against Waterford.

But it could have been very different for the Mullinahone star.A few years ago Curran had had enough of warming the bench while big Philly Maher was an automatic in the number three shirt. College almost over, his bags were packed, he was headed for sunnier climes for the summer. National League final of 2003, first intervention.

“It was my last year in college and I had opted out of the panel. I had planned on going to America, Boston, I had the J1 visa.

“Then Phillip got injured, I was asked to come in to do a training session, but sure they knew once I came in there was no way I was going to America. From then on really...”From then on, the Mullinahone star has been an ever-present on the Tipp 15, or at least he was, until fate again intervened last year.

First, however, there was that 2003 All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny, wrong end of a 3-18 to 0-15 point beating.“I was full-back that day, I suppose we just weren’t battle-hardened. Even in our training games we weren’t geared up to it, not compared to this year where we have 33 lads all fighting, so that when the pressure came, we weren’t able for it.”

More disappointment was to follow, including two Munster final losses to Cork, 2005 and 2006.
“It doesn’t be long going. Even if we had won either of those Munster finals though I don’t know would we have had the belief to beat Kilkenny. Cork had the set-up, Kilkenny had the set-up, but the turning point for Tipp was the 2002 All-Ireland semi-final, when we lost to Kilkenny (four points). Nicky English left, Tipp went down, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had stayed on.”

Corner-back when Maher made a brief return, Paul then made the full-back slot his own, as much at home there at the beginning of last year as Phillip had been in 2003, Declan Fanning now the frustrated one on the bench; then came that next intervention, early last year.

“I got injured in a club game, missed the three games against Limerick, came back for the Dublin game in the qualifiers, got injured again. A broken bone in my foot the first time, then my jaw.”

That was a particularly nasty injury, but Paul has no complaints.“I don’t think about it now, it’s so long ago it’s like it never happened. I have no qualms about it; I remember catching the ball, I remember him (Peadar Carton) being on my right and then I can remember him standing there but I don’t think I guarded myself well, I think my right hand was down, I left myself open.

“I thought I had lost teeth, a big lump came out of it. Then I was trying to eat and I think it was Larry Corbett that said to me it was broken. That was it for the season though I togged out against Wexford. It was a disappointing way to end the year, a lot of bad vibes before and after it. It wasn’t a good way to finish up.”

WHATEVER about his own disappointment, Paul’s loss was Declan Fanning’s gain: he collected an All-Star, had a stellar campaign, which left Paul again warming the bench as the new season dawned.And again fate intervened. Declan went down with injury and in came Paul, played superbly, to the point that even now, with Declan back to full fitness, he is still there, still has that jersey.

“Myself and Declan have a great relationship. He got a break last year when I got injured, he went in, he was flying it, then he kind of got injured this year and I got back in. But the two of us get on very well.”
What was Paul doing across the water in Wales recently? Putting the finishing touches to his teaching qualifications. A lot of to-ing and fro-ing across the Irish Sea.

“Straight back to Rosslare on the Sunday night after every game. An hour and a half from the college down to Fishguard and then an hour and a half drive home (after Rosslare) but I was lucky that I got my placement, teaching practice, in Pembrokeshire for my last nine weeks. That started seven weeks after Christmas so it shortened the journey to Fishguard by 40 minutes.”

And the Welsh, did they know they had an Irish sports star in their midst?

“I’d always be down pucking near the sea front, they’d be looking at you, very inquisitive. They’d love it. The Welsh guys on the course would be looking up about it on the internet, and the kids at the school were fascinated by it.“They wanted to know more and more. It shows you the possibilities that are there if you wanted to spread it. But I just love the game. When you’re away from it all the hunger builds up to come home for it. It helps to take a back seat, have a look and get a perspective.”

Possibilities, perspective — what odds Tipperary beating Waterford tomorrow? What odds Paul finally going on to win in September?

Waterford have been knocking on the door for over a decade, Tipp have suffered several seasons in the doldrums, yet Paul knows both counties have the talent to be up there.

“A lot of fellas would have gone to college with the Kilkenny lads, so you would meet them over Christmas or whatever and they’d have three or four All-Ireland medals in their pocket. That’s what it comes down to.”

A must-win game then: Waterford are a real goal-scoring threat, with guys like on-fire Eoin Kelly, 2007 hurler-of-the-year Dan Shanahan, John Mullane, Seamus Prendergast, Eoin McGrath, and Stephen Molumphy. Curran is fully qualified as a teacher now, with job interviews done in Clonmel and Templemore. Tomorrow is the real test for 2008, however.