With Aidan O'Shea headed over to the United States to try his hand at American football, former NFL star Roberto Wallace has found himself in the unfamiliar surrounds of Mayo as he tries his hand at gaelic football.
An exceptional athlete, Wallace has already looked at home while training with the team, and certainly knows how to put his boot through the ball judging by this short video which was released last week of him trying to adapt to life in the GAA.
The sport is quite different from the one that he played at the professional level, and the amateur nature of the game, as well as the fact that it's non-stop, is something that Wallace highlighted when speaking after his first match with the team.
The former Dolphins wide receiver said "the guys only have so much time in their day to practise and train and play. They still have to work and go and earn their money. It’s definitely a different experience for me. I haven’t played in any kind of field or pitch like that.
"I definitely have a new appreciation for the sport. I keep stressing it’s not easy. It’s tough, it’s consistent movement, running for 30 minutes, there’s no time-outs, no breaks. It’s a tough sport, you’ve got to be able to run in that, bounce in that, shut a guy off and kick the ball or punch it, whatever you have to do to get it in".
Wallace started at full-forward for Breaffy in their game against Parke Keelogues of Crimlim GAA, and while he didn't get on the score sheet, he still captained the side to a 3-13 to 2-06 win.
@BreaffyGAA v ParkeGAA in @AIB_GAA #TheToughest @Roberto_Wallace @AIDOXI https://t.co/ewIIlMxKQl pic.twitter.com/CX4LeLEA5F
— Ciara Buckley (@cibuckley) February 13, 2016
Breaffy starting XV against @ParkeKCgaa @Roberto_Wallace starts full forward #the toughest pic.twitter.com/Q7EimPx52U
— Breaffy GAA (@BreaffyGAA) February 13, 2016
Via Balls.ie
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