Ace Brady has whole world in his hands

HOME AND AWAY CAVAN'S WORLD CHAMPION: Gavin Cummiskeytalks to the top-ranked handball player about the difficulties of combining the sport with his other great passion, football

A HERO ON the international handball circuit, Paul Brady remains just another Cavan footballer in the Irish sporting consciousness.

Two paragraphs was all Brady received in a national Sunday broadsheet last week, buried deep in the left-hand column of the page, nestled beside swimming, motor racing and amateur boxing results, despite the fact he had confirmed his status as the best handball player in the world by retaining his US National title in Kansas City.

Is this where Paul Brady, one of Ireland's few current world champion, belongs? Granted, handball is hardly a sport for the masses. This evening he is back on the field with the Cavan football panel, trying to regain a starting role in Donal Keoghan's team ahead of the qualifiers.

He missed the Ulster football semi-final defeat to Armagh because of the Kansas adventure. In fairness, he was seeking a fourth consecutive US title.

That Cork's Tony Healy was his latest scalp illustrates the dominance of Irishmen on the US circuit.

"Tony had a tough old draw so I was surprised to see him in the final. Naturally he made it more difficult for me," said the 28-year-old, who defends his US Open title next in Los Angeles in October.

"What next? My main priority is to get my place back in the Cavan team. I may or may not compete in other events before October (there is Chicago next month and Ohio in September) but we'll see how Cavan get on first. You never know, we could go on a run."

Brady is a man at the peak of his powers and in as much control of his destiny as any sportsman could wish to be. Very few attain such a plateau.

"This year has been much better. I just concentrated on the handball from January to May and then got into the football in the first few weeks of the summer (he featured against Antrim last month as a sub). The US Nationals are historically the big event on the handball circuit so that took over. The next real big one for me this year is Los Angeles in October."

Last year when Cavan exited Ulster early, Brady, along with Seánie Johnston, jumped ship to America to play football with St Brendan's in Chicago. Keoghan said they would never wear the blue jersey again while he was manager. That edict has since been shelved as the players and management sorted out the stand-off behind closed doors.

"Before I came back I outlined my situation and they were happy to accept my position. Over the years that was the hardest part. I was training when I shouldn't have been training. It becomes more of a mental step to balance the two commitments.

"When you were younger you could train a couple of times a day but that becomes a problem as you get older. The body is not as flexible.

"It was not just Cavan; the club needed commitment as well so there was a time when people were pulling me from everywhere. Something had to give.

"That's why I took the break this year. I'm only concentrating on the majors in handball."

Paul Brady is not a household name. Well, Paul Brady the handball champion and Cavan wing back isn't. Despite the fact he is the best in the world, his sporting life remains a struggle. There is no grant cheque. Sponsors are hardly battering down his door.

"I'm going to keep it going as long as I can. Priorities will eventually change. A few years ago I would have said definitely 'yes' to going full time on the pro circuit but then from a football point of view I'd love to get into management at some stage.

"Once you're winning it is not too bad to keep going."

October is the main pay day with prize money of $25,000 (€16,000) in contrast to the sliding scale to a maximum of $5,000 for last week. It is clearly not about making a living.

Anyway, he still believes in the much-maligned GAA amateur ethos. He wasn't overly keen to discuss the issue except to note all his prize money goes back into the GAA and is redistributed to him via expenses. Suffice to say it does not leave him with much change.

So he has to keep winning. Thankfully, the mind and body are currently at their sharpest.

"I've always known what I was getting into. I knew the profile of the sport so I just try and get on with it.

"I just concentrate on playing. I want to be the best player in the world and a lot of pressure comes with that. All my focus goes into that. I try not to get involved in the bureaucracy or that stuff. I just focus on trying to win all the time - in both codes."

Football remains important. He likes the team ethic, but in handball a coach has never been his thing.

"I didn't work very well with coaches. I had my own ideas of what had to be done. Early coaches, family and friends played a big part and still do but you have to do this yourself. I see other players with coaches but, to me, why would I need a coach?

"I have an idea of how I should play, physically and mentally how I should train. I used to find other people giving an opinion would throw me off altogether - get me all agitated.

"I kind of just disappear from everyone and just go into myself. My belief took me to the top and so far . . . well, you know."

Well, actually we mortals don't know. Explain?

"Some people can get sidetracked but I always come back to myself because if I play well I don't think anyone can beat me. You've got to think like that and not get distracted by other players. All I can control is getting myself right."

Right now he is in the zone. Handball and football are balancing up nicely. He returns to the team environment this week. Come next October it will be over to California, where his name will be up in bright lights.

At home, he remains just another footballer trying to help get Cavan out of the football wilderness that is the qualifiers. He knows all about the lonely road so he must be valuable.