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McNamee: 'We're under no illusions'

Rhode forward Niall McNamee.

Rhode forward Niall McNamee.

By Paul Keane

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A video reel of the opening minutes of the 2008 AIB Leinster club football final just about sums up Niall McNamee's remarkable talent.

Paul Griffin, one of Dublin's most accomplished defenders, was given the firefighting role of trailing McNamee, but was left with only scorch marks for his efforts.

McNamee scored an early point off the Kilmacud Crokes back, won a free off him that was converted and then skipped through the Dubliners' defence for a quite wonderful goal, putting Rhode 1-3 to 0-0 up.

That the Offaly men eventually lost from that high point of authority - one of four Leinster final defeats they've suffered in the last decade - wasn't as surprising as the fact that McNamee was producing such breathtaking football while in the throes of a gambling addiction.

Four years later, he went public about his situation and just weeks ago warmed hearts with a Tweet that read: "5 years today since I last had a bet. My best ever decision and greatest gift to have ever been given."

One would imagine given McNamee's personal journey that he's pored over Tyrone footballer Cathal McCarron's new book which chronicles a similar battle though he says he hasn't read it and probably won't. Why?

"No particular reason," responded McNamee. "Just I've spoken to him on several occasions and I kind of know what's in it. I've lived a lot of those experiences as well. It's not that I don't want to read it obviously. If I get time, I'm going away on holidays at Christmas, I might sit down and read a few bits of it.

"But I've spoken to him on all of this stuff already. I can go to a Gamblers Anonymous meeting and I'm going to hear the same stories from different lads, from different venues or different ages or different amounts of money but it's basically all the same thing."

McNamee has proven a useful resource for many players with gambling troubles in recent years. His own tale and those of McCarron and Armagh's Oisin McConville have been well documented though McNamee revealed there are plenty more addressing their issues privately or some, unfortunately, who are still struggling in silence.

Niall McNamee continues to impress for Rhode.

Niall McNamee continues to impress for Rhode.

"I wouldn't be 100 per cent aware, but there would be a lot of inter-county players probably that are struggling, a few guys that I've been in touch with or that I know of," he said. "But I'd say there's hundreds more that are borderline, that aren't actually there yet. But if they keep going the way they're going, they're going to get to that level as well."

All the while, McNamee's own form has maintained a steady line of consistency. He has been the standout performer for club and county for 10 years now but is still chasing that Leinster final breakthrough.

It is remarkable to think that, 31 now, McNamee played in his first Leinster final as a 15-year-old with the Offaly minors in 2001 - they lost heavily to Dublin - and still hasn't won one, over half a life later.

He has been consistently thwarted by Dublin teams with three of Rhode's four provincial setbacks coming at the hands of capital clubs.

St Vincent's beat Rhode comfortably in the 2014 final and the clubs meet again on Sunday in Portlaoise. To say that McNamee has an appetite for success is an understatement.

"I suppose a bit of experience comes along with that (the past defeats) as well," said McNamee. "Even from my own point of view, it's just great to be there. It's great that we've been able to push ourselves to get to that level. It proves that we are one of the best teams in the country.

"Obviously a victory would be huge for the area and absolutely it's something that we (want)...when we got the taste of it in 2006, reaching the first final, we beat UCD in the semi-final that year and there was a huge buzz around the place and once we got a taste of that we were always trying to get back there and to win one would be the icing on the cake, but we're under no illusions in terms of what's coming up against us."

Win or lose, McNamee will be pursued in the coming weeks about his inter-county plans for 2017. After 14 seasons in Offaly's attack, he says he's undecided.

"It's hard to get away from it too," he said. "Sometimes you'd say to yourself, 'I'd love to go away and do different things' but at the same time I know I'd miss it if I was away as well. I'm 31 and I'd say there's only a couple of years in me, but look, I'll wait and see how Sunday goes and we'll see then from January what the plan is."