[i]This is a follow in from this article which was posted over a week ago.[/i]
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'
Words spoken about another sporting code, but words which ring through none the less.
Words contemplated by the Yeti's powerful running back Luke Tiernan following the untimely passing of his father.
Ten days on and Tiernan was yet to return home to his native Ireland, he had missed the funeral, seemingly skipping on grieving for his beloved father in order to prioritise his new career as a Colorado Yeti.
By all accounts, management, coaching staff and his fellow professionals at the Yeti had all encouraged Tiernan to return home and be with his family - after all, it was just football.
"Just football..." Tiernan would think to himself while shaking his head, to the man dubbed "Lieutenant Smash" due to his propensity to look to run through defenders rather than around them, football had become so much more than a game to him. It was more than just his livelihood, more than just a way for him to make money and meet pretty girls. Football to Tiernan had become his everything, even more so since being drafter by the Yeti, football was his everything. When he was sleeping he would be dreaming about football, when he was awake he would be training for football, or eating for football, or talking about football or thinking about football. It was all consuming, it was his everything.
And that's why, when Luke Tiernan got the news that his father had been in an accident, he knew that he was never going to return and say goodbye. Of course he had thoughts of jumping on that transatlantic flight and being at his father's bedside in his final moments, but those thoughts were fleeting, and in the end it would have been immaterial, Tiernan's father was gone as soon as his head hit the ground on that sunny June morning.
Ever the pragmatist, while all those around Tiernan were telling him to return home, to be with his family, and grieve properly, it was his mother who was insisting that he remain in Colorado, with his new team, those who had put faith in him by drafting him so high.
"Sure what good are you to him in Ireland" she'd say.
And while Tiernan looked to be taking the passing of his Father in his stride, there were some who were worried about the young Irishman, while not abnormal for Tiernan to be reticent about his emotions, for a man who talked with warmth of his father and his home-life in the emerald Isle, it looked very strange indeed that Tiernan seemed to be continuing on in life as usual.
Very little had changed for him, Tiernan had been absolutely reveling in his new surroundings in Colorado. With the help of the Yeti's strength and conditioning coaches, Tiernan had been looking stronger than ever, progressing in leaps and bounds over the previous few weeks.
He currently holds all of the strength records in the Yeti's gym and by quite some margin too.
And it is precisely this that has some of his colleagues worried - we all know the stories of the big strong man, lifting big, looking good, laughing and joking about but on the inside withering away.
For Tiernan, he felt he was grieving, but doing it his way, he felt the best way to remember his father, to thank his father for all that he had done for him and the rest of his family, was to be the best footballer he could be, to make a name for himself and for his family. He knew that he had a big weight across his even bigger shoulders, but he was more than happy to accept it.
In preseason Tiernan seemed to flourish as one half of the Yeti Running back twosome (along with Kieran O'Connell) known as "Celtic Thunder."
Amassing 222 yards over 45 carries, or an average of just under 5 yards per carry. Indeed this eclipsed his running mate O'Connell who amassed 236 yards from 59 carried, or an average of 4 yards per carry.
With the regular season looming, the question does have to be asked as to whether Tiernan has indeed grieved for his father, albeit in his own way, or might we see a drop in form and participation from Tiernan as he finally comes to terms with the unfortunate passing of the family patriarch.
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'
Words spoken about another sporting code, but words which ring through none the less.
Words contemplated by the Yeti's powerful running back Luke Tiernan following the untimely passing of his father.
Ten days on and Tiernan was yet to return home to his native Ireland, he had missed the funeral, seemingly skipping on grieving for his beloved father in order to prioritise his new career as a Colorado Yeti.
By all accounts, management, coaching staff and his fellow professionals at the Yeti had all encouraged Tiernan to return home and be with his family - after all, it was just football.
"Just football..." Tiernan would think to himself while shaking his head, to the man dubbed "Lieutenant Smash" due to his propensity to look to run through defenders rather than around them, football had become so much more than a game to him. It was more than just his livelihood, more than just a way for him to make money and meet pretty girls. Football to Tiernan had become his everything, even more so since being drafter by the Yeti, football was his everything. When he was sleeping he would be dreaming about football, when he was awake he would be training for football, or eating for football, or talking about football or thinking about football. It was all consuming, it was his everything.
And that's why, when Luke Tiernan got the news that his father had been in an accident, he knew that he was never going to return and say goodbye. Of course he had thoughts of jumping on that transatlantic flight and being at his father's bedside in his final moments, but those thoughts were fleeting, and in the end it would have been immaterial, Tiernan's father was gone as soon as his head hit the ground on that sunny June morning.
Ever the pragmatist, while all those around Tiernan were telling him to return home, to be with his family, and grieve properly, it was his mother who was insisting that he remain in Colorado, with his new team, those who had put faith in him by drafting him so high.
"Sure what good are you to him in Ireland" she'd say.
And while Tiernan looked to be taking the passing of his Father in his stride, there were some who were worried about the young Irishman, while not abnormal for Tiernan to be reticent about his emotions, for a man who talked with warmth of his father and his home-life in the emerald Isle, it looked very strange indeed that Tiernan seemed to be continuing on in life as usual.
Very little had changed for him, Tiernan had been absolutely reveling in his new surroundings in Colorado. With the help of the Yeti's strength and conditioning coaches, Tiernan had been looking stronger than ever, progressing in leaps and bounds over the previous few weeks.
He currently holds all of the strength records in the Yeti's gym and by quite some margin too.
And it is precisely this that has some of his colleagues worried - we all know the stories of the big strong man, lifting big, looking good, laughing and joking about but on the inside withering away.
For Tiernan, he felt he was grieving, but doing it his way, he felt the best way to remember his father, to thank his father for all that he had done for him and the rest of his family, was to be the best footballer he could be, to make a name for himself and for his family. He knew that he had a big weight across his even bigger shoulders, but he was more than happy to accept it.
In preseason Tiernan seemed to flourish as one half of the Yeti Running back twosome (along with Kieran O'Connell) known as "Celtic Thunder."
Amassing 222 yards over 45 carries, or an average of just under 5 yards per carry. Indeed this eclipsed his running mate O'Connell who amassed 236 yards from 59 carried, or an average of 4 yards per carry.
With the regular season looming, the question does have to be asked as to whether Tiernan has indeed grieved for his father, albeit in his own way, or might we see a drop in form and participation from Tiernan as he finally comes to terms with the unfortunate passing of the family patriarch.