Five Minutes With… Antrim’s James McAuley

Name: James McAuley.
Age: 24.
Occupations: Software engineer.
Teams played for: Antrim and Naomh Eanna.
Game you most enjoyed playing in?
Ulster Intermediate final 2018.

Game you least enjoyed playing in?

NFL v Wicklow 2020.

What’s the worst pitch you’ve ever played on?

Aldergrove.

Toughest training session you’ve ever been involved in?

Every pre-season.

What’s your preferred brand of gear?

Whatever Ryan McNulty is rocking.

Most inspirational individual you’ve ever met?

Kevin Quinn.

Where do you like to go out to celebrate?

Go with the flow.

What do you like to do when you are not training/playing?

Pretend that I can play golf.

Which character in any film/tv show are you most like?

No idea.

Which team mates (from any club/county) are the first you’d invite on a night out?

Gerard Crossey, Paddy Flood and Ciaran Kane.

Which teammate is the worst dancer?

Odhran Eastwood.

Which teammate is the loudest in the changing room?

Dermot McAleese.

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen happen in training/during a match?

Eoin Nagle deciding he wants to be a corner-back.

What’s the worst excuse you’ve heard to get out of training and who did it come from?

Joe Maskey – fell asleep in the bath.

Biggest ego?

Joe Maskey.

Worst/best person to sit next to on the team bus?

Worst – Dermot McAleese, never stops talking.

Best – Odhran Eastwood.

Worst/best person to share a room with on away days?

Worst – Odhran Eastwood, never off Tinder.

Best – Peter Healy, lights out at 9pm.

Who has the best diet, and who has the worst, and what do they consist of?

Worst – Eoin Nagle only eats pizza.

Best – Column Duffin loves a protein bar.

Toughest opponent you have played against?

David Clifford.

Best or worst quote you have heard from a team mate/opponent/manager?

Every team has piano pushers and piano players.

Best manager you have played for?

I’ve learned something from every manager.

What frustrates you most about the GAA?

Too much football played in the winter.

What is the best thing about being part of the GAA?

The people you meet and journeys you go on.