It’s not every day that a father and his three sons play alongside each other in a football match.
In May, Denis Delaney told us all about how his brother Tom found himself togging out with his children for Slieve Bloom.
Ask not what your club can do for you, but what you can do for your club.
There’s no keeping a good GAA man down, as 54-year-old Tom Delaney Senior showed on Monday night.
The proud Slieve Bloom man stepped out on the pitch alongside his sons Tom junior, Padraig and Darragh against Mountrath in a Laois football league Division 5 game on Monday night.
A father and son combination playing alongside each other isn’t unique in the GAA world – only last year Damien and Dylan Lalor lined out together as Trumera won the Laois IHC title – but a father and three sons definitely takes some beating.
Tom is manager of the football team, and as they only had 12 players, he made the executive decision to step up to the mark and play as goalkeeper for the side.
Teams have the option of playing 13-a-side and with Tom togging out, they were able to start the game with a full complement. With another player showing up after the game started, Tom duly took himself off after about 20 minutes.
A man of the match performance?
As any good brother would, his brother Denis filled us in on all the telling details.
“I think he only let in one goal in. He’s come on in matches for Slieve Bloom before, but someone may tell him to hang up the boots now!”
Although Slieve Bloom lost the match 4-4 to 1-6, Denis praised his brother’s ability in the goals.
“Ah he managed to catch and kick the ball out short distances alright!”
A man with huge passion for sport, Tom formerly played hurling and football for Castletown and football for the Laois Vocational Schools team back in his younger years.
Tom also owns the hugely popular Tom Delaney & Sons pub on Main Street, Mountrath.
And after his performance on Monday night, a possible championship debut could be on the cards for this ‘up and coming’ Slieve Bloom star.
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