Mayo’s Alan Dillon home from world tour

It’s good to be back


Alan Dillon has returned from his world adventure

Feature
Mike Finnerty

JUST days after returning from his four-month round-the-world trip, Alan Dillon rejoined the Mayo senior squad last weekend and immediately set his sights on getting back into the first fifteen.
Speaking to The Mayo News last night (Monday), the former All Star said that he was ‘more driven’ than ever about playing for Mayo but also admitted that he had enjoyed the break from the GAA circuit.
“I’m going to have to work hard for the next three or four weeks to get my eye in, work on my sharpness, my handling, and to get used to the new rules, especially the handpass,” he explained.
“But we’ll see what happens. March is going to be very busy, very competitive. We have four games and I think Johnno is going to need his full squad to choose from. Between injuries and suspensions I might get an opportunity and, if I do, I’ll do my best.
“I’m probably more driven this year to be honest,” he added. “When you come home you realise how lucky you are to be part of an inter-county set-up. You have space and freedom when you’re away but you realise what you’re missing too.
“It was nice to be away from the chit-chat about football around Castlebar, and around Ballintubber though,” he conceded. “It was nice to be isolated and away from anybody who knew us. It was a real breath of fresh air to get away from it all.”
Together with Conor Mortimer, Dillon spent the last thirteen weeks travelling around Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. They lived the lives of typical backpackers; bunjee-jumping, sky-diving, sight-seeing, and, of course, doing some training.
“We tried to get in two or three sessions a week to keep things ticking over,” said Dillon. “The facilities were very good in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa so it wasn’t difficult to find somewhere to train.
“It was good to get out in the fresh air, the sunshine, and spin the legs. The pitches were rock hard as well so it was a bit of a culture shock to come back to the muck and the gutter here.
“We’ve both been playing for the last seven or eight years so there’s a reserve of fitness there. “The important thing was to not neglect training while we were away, to maintain that reserve, and be ready to push on and work hard when we got home.”
The duo kept in touch with Mayo’s fortunes in recent weeks via the world-wide web, and regular updates from Ballintubber and Shrule. Dillon was pleasantly surprised by his team-mates’ unbeaten start to the new campaign.
“The first two games seemed very tough on paper so to get the two wins, the four points, gives us a great start. We’re in a good position and aren’t trying to catch up early on.
“Plus, getting out of Connacht is going to be very difficult this year so it’s important we get the hard work done now that will stand to us later in the season.”
So, what were the highlights of the ‘trip of a lifetime’ for the 27 years-old?
“There were so many things it would be hard to pick one out,” he said. “But in South Africa we toured the Sharks [Super 14 rugby team] facilities and got to meet a lot of the national players. That was a real highlight. But it was a trip-of-a-lifetime really so it’s hard to pick out any moment above any other.”
And, most importantly, what was travelling with Conor Mortimer like? “It was entertaining, to say the least,” smiled Dillon. Enough said.