Wicklow’s inspirational cancer survivor shows the real beauty of the GAA in poignant interview

Where would some of us be without the GAA?

Where would you be without your mates there? The slagging. The hard hits. The heavy breathing. You can get so caught up in the misery of it all sometimes. Dragging yourself to training, missing weekend trips, nights out, living the life of a monk listening to coaches berate you and, at the end of it all, you probably won't even win. It's only when it's taken away from you that you realise how much you miss it. You realise how much you need that drive where you're building something with your club mates and you're part of something bigger than you all. You even miss the bitching and the moaning and your life circling around a little club house and pitch planted at the side of a road somewhere. Exiles around the world feel like they're the lucky ones when they're leaving. They get to cut ties with the pressure and the scrutiny and commitment required to play in the GAA nowadays but then they look back with longing eyes at the craic at training that they're missing, at the big wins, at the conversations and plotting. They're missing what has become a part of them. https://twitter.com/SportsJOEdotie/status/814169348076081152 When Wicklow footballer John McGrath was diagnosed with Burkitt's lymphoma back in 2011, it wasn't as if it all put sport into perspective and that it wasn't important anymore. It was the thing he wanted to make sure he got back to. Even his early treatment courage was helped by his Baltinglass manager Tommy Murphy who text at the time to say: ‘every day’s treatment is a day closer to recovery’. Then, McGrath had a vision and it was to get back the Wicklow jersey. He'll pull it on again on Sunday.