Coming up on 60 minutes; the Darragh Farrell interview...

 As mentioned in an earlier post Der Irlander is starting an interview series with an ex-teammate, now divisional rival: Lubeck Cougars DB Darragh Farrell.  Darragh managed to tear himself away from the Cougars long enough for me to interrogate him somewhat, and this is what I got out of him...


Darragh Farrell, DB, Lubeck Cougars



Der Irlander: Who or what was it that first encouraged you to seek football outside of Ireland?

Darragh Farrell: It was actually Europlayers, i had heard of guys setting up profiles and getting interest but never following them up so when i finally set up a profile and started getting offers i thought maybe it would be cool to play a summer in Europe. It was the challenge and the chance of improving my skill that encouraged me most.

DI: What was it that drew you to the Cougars as opposed to any other GFL2 teams?

DF: That's easy, no other teams in GFL2 made me an offer. I had offers from Austria,Finland and Norway but i decided on Germany

DI: How did you find the first year with the Cougars and GFL2?

DF: Like any fresh faced kid would, i was blown away. Our first game was a pre-season friendly against the GFL1 powerhouse Hamburg Blue Devils so to say i was nervous was a fair comment but as the games and season went on i settled and played some good football. The Cougars as an organisation were great, i never had and still haven't had a problem with the coaches or management.

DI: When you went to the Perth Blitz what were some of the biggest differences (if any) between the European and Australian games?

DF: Haha that's a bit of a loaded question. Nah there is a big void between Europe and Australia but in the short time since iv been there that Void is closing fast. The main point is coaching, there are a lot more opportunities here in Europe for coaches to educate themselves where as in Australia they are very limited. The Australian players themselve's some are the most amazing athletes that possess the most raw talents I've ever seen and with a good coach to bring these kids on there will be some superstars found there in the next few years.

DI: Obviously the Cougars must have had a strong pull to get you back from the sunshine of Perth, what was it that won you over though?

DF: If I'm honest i had achieved everything i wanted playing there except winning the bowl. The 2 years i was there i played in 2 finals,was selected team capt,designed and installed the teams playbook,was selected to the allstar team as Defensive capt and made a successful switch to Offence to help my team out there. I loved playing for the blitz but i missed the challenge GFL2 brings so i decided to return for another season.

DI: You were schooled in the Irish game; did you get a chance to follow this year’s Shamrock Bowl between the Dublin Rebels and UL Vikings?

DF: I did catch the bowl, it was exciting and I'm happy the Rebels won. To come from where they were to winning the bowl is a statement to the guys and the hard work they put in.

DI: With those two teams being viewed as the best in the Irish game, how do you think they could fare against either the Cougars or Rebels of GFL2?

DF: Haha emm i don't think i can put that in here what would happen if we played an Irish team. It would be a one sided game as the Germans have some awesome imports but i think with a little work and an Import quaterback the Irish would do better than most would expect.

DI: What about an Irish all star team?  Knowing the talent level of player that can be found on the emerald isle, do you see many more Irish players spreading their wings and joining the German or foreign leagues in the future?

DF: There is talent there and guys need to realise there is a whole other football world waiting for them outside of Ireland. Just take the chance, whats the worst that can happen, you get better????

DI: The World Championships finished up recently in Austria (as covered in a previous blog post) and all those players got to have a run out for their country; what did you make of the event as a whole?

DF: Awesome, truly awesome. I had friends play on 2 teams there and it doesn't get better or bigger in my opinion.

DI: Now, you knew I was going to have to touch on that most sensitive of issues back home, but would you hold any realistic hope for a solid team Ireland program to emerge from the woods in our lifetime?

DF: In short, unfortunately no....

DI: Thanks for taking the time out for the interview!

So there you have it, Ireland's first product to be sent abroad with some realistic views on Irish football and it's future.  Do you agree with him?  Disagree?  Let's try and get some feedback here and start a discussion!

Thanks for reading!

Slán.

PS: Look out for future interviews as well as planned additions to the weekly features of the blog.  Among the planned features are a mailbag section, highlight breakdown, guest articles and round table discussions.  Stay tuned!